


Abattoir

by Obsidian_Tear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Blood, Boba just needs a family, Creepy guys are creepy, Death, Embo/Sugi, Found Family, Gore, Minor Cad Bane/Embo, Minor Cad Bane/Jango Fett, Minor Latts Razzi/Sugi, Multi, Self-Harm, Speciesism, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Violence, it's kind of gross, the empire sucks bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2018-10-20 06:24:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10656765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidian_Tear/pseuds/Obsidian_Tear
Summary: Seven years have passed since the end of the Clone Wars. Most of the bounty hunters have moved on with their lives - but the Empire needs them for one last gig.





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back after a... very long hiatus! Sorry about that, btw. I am here with my first attempt at a plotted, multi-chapter fic in a very long time. I'm still a little rusty on the plot part, and can't guarantee upload dates, but hopefully, this will be a fic I actually finish for once.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this fic!

_“What is your best quality, Boba?”_

_Boba must’ve been four or five at this point; he could remember lying in bed, listening to the laughter just outside his room. The only light in the room radiated from his stained-glass nightlight he had been gifted when he started to fear the darkness._ _He stared curiously into the face of the woman he may have called ‘mother’ had he known the word. Her gentle, pale hands carded through his hair as she unsuccessfully tried to coax him to sleep; he giggled and peered up into her warm amber eyes._

_"Kwalitee?”_

_The woman only chuckled; someone called her name from outside the door, but she ignored them as she clarified. “What do you like best about yourself?”_

_Boba thought for a moment, his attention drawn to the sprawling brown lines that mapped the soft curves of her face; he reached out and gently touched the line that divided her chin. As a child, these lines confused him; but as an adult, he memorized those tattoos and the story of heartbreak that accompanied them._

_"I can draw real good!” There were days when he would spend hours upon hours in his room, doodling his father's friends with his crayon set and sketchpad. Even the infamous Cad Bane’s face seemed to light up when Boba presented him with his drawings._

_“You can, darling.” She grinned, flashing her pointed teeth; for the longest time, Boba would wait for his ‘cool teeth’ to grow in. He was so disappointed when they didn’t... “Every picture you give me is tacked to the walls in my ship. I’ll show you one day.”_

_“Daddy says I’m real smart. I can count to one hundred.”_

_“You are very smart, Boba. Smarter than even I am.” Being smarter than a grown-up was quite the accomplishment to Boba, and he reveled in this when he was younger. He later learned that she may have embellished the truth just a little bit; sure she was unlearned, but she was as sharp as a whip and incredibly intuitive. "What else?"_

_“I’m nice to the longnecks, even when Daddy isn’t.”_

_“And why is that, Boba?” She inquired. Boba pondered for a moment, before shrugging._

_“I want them to smile… I like it when people smile!” He beamed, and the woman gently pressed a kiss to his forehead._

_“You, my sweet, are creative and brave and smart beyond measure. Life is going to teach you a lot of things, but there is one thing that you must always remember, no matter what. You must remember to be kind, even when it’s hard.”_

_The door slid open, and in stepped his father; he looked tired, but he was happy – Boba could just sense it. Jango knelt beside her, whispering something lowly into her ear; she stood slowly, her eyes drawing to the voices outside the door._

_“I have to go.” She bent down to press another kiss to his forehead, before starting toward the exit; she paused, standing in the doorway. “Do you understand what I have told you?”_

_Boba nodded as he watched her disappear; his father took her place and sung him to sleep with a quiet lullaby._

_-_

“Eh, Boba… would you look at that…”

Boba looked up from his drink to spy the bartender tidying up the ‘bounty board’, as most patrons called it. It was a blaring reminder of the top bounty hunters at the time and it was constantly changing… more now than it ever had. Although Cad Bane still held the top space, names like Latts Razzi and Embo were no longer present; most nonhuman hunters had fled the field when the Empire took over, and now the bounty board was looking incredibly…. Human.

Boba watched in anticipation as the bartender wiped Cad’s name from the top. In one way, he was glad that the old man was gone; he had held the top spot for _far_ too long. But in another way… it made his stomach clench. He missed the hunters of the old days, and it felt as though a little bit of him was stolen every time one of them disappeared; they were the only family had left at this point…

He shook his head as Aurra took the top spot, followed closely by Dengar; Boba watched as his name was bumped up a few spots, from the seventh spot to the fourth spot. But this victory felt awfully hollow.

“Did he die?” Boba inquired. The bartender shook his head as he tidied the rest of the board.

“Nah. He just dropped off the radar like most of the others.” The human man climbed down the stool and wiped his forehead with one of his rags. He turned his attention toward Dengar, who was smiling smugly. “Congrats, number two.”

The Corellian beamed as he received his complimentary drink and knocked it back; he let out a rather loud and obnoxious laugh, before patting Boba on the shoulder.

“Try to keep up, kid.” He snorted, his attention drawn toward one of the lovely dancers who seductively complimented him; Boba just rolled his eyes as he tried to remember why he was hanging out with the older man.

He stared down at his empty glass, his mind racing in ten million directions; he briefly wondered where Cad had wandered off to before he was interrupted. The bartender slid him a drink – one that Boba didn’t order. Boba sent the man a questioning glance, and the barkeep gestured toward someone sitting in a booth at the back of the bar; it wasn’t uncommon for Boba to get gigs this way, so he went along with it. He swiped the drink up, before meandering over to the unknown man.

“Mr. Fett, I presume?”

“Whaddya want?” Boba frowned as he slid into the seat across from the man; the most defining feature about this man was that he had _no_ defining features. Boba could easily point out any white-skinned human on the holonet and it would look just like him; he was middle-aged, clean-shaven, and he had all his teeth. He definitely didn’t look as though he belonged there…

“I have… a gig for you.” The way he said ‘gig’ sounded as though he was an old man trying to mimic the newest teenage lingo; it felt out of place, especially when mixed with his posh accent.

“Imperial?”

Even without his accent to betray him, it was evident that the man before him had been through Imperial training. His elbows never touched the table, his back was ramrod straight, and he constantly looked as though he was constipated. Boba had to stifle a giggle.

“You are intuitive, I’ll give you that.” The officer huffed, a small frown pulling at his thin lips; his blue eyes glinted coldly in the low light of the bar. “Would you like to hear what I have to say, or should I move on?”

“Go ahead.” Boba leaned back, propping his feet up on the table; the Imperial seemed offended, almost as if this action was equal to Boba pissing on his mother’s grave. The Imperial swallowed hard, before adjusting his collar.

“It has been brought to the Empire’s attention that you were… close with some of the hunters of old.” He mentioned this fact as if the Clone Wars had happened over fifty years ago… not seven. Boba shrugged but didn’t give him anything beyond that. “The Empire would like you to gather them together. For that, we will pay you handsomely.”

“That’s… it?”

“Not quite. While the Empire holds a certain… disdain for criminals such as you, we all agree that you all are effective at what you do. So, we have a second task for you and your _syndicate_ to fulfill; the Emperor wants the Hutt Empires dismantled, and he has all the faith in the galaxy that they could do it.”

Boba knew there was a catch – there was always a catch when it came to working with the Empire; he narrowed his eyes as he watched the man’s body language. He was still stiff as all hell, but Boba could see that something was off; he just had to figure out what it was.

 “And you are to… what? Kill them off when they serve their purpose?”

“Hardly. We want to show the _aliens_ that the Empire is not their enemy, and what better way to do this than to have aliens employed into our service.”

“So, basically, you are hiring them instead of humans to boost your PR?” Boba just shook his head, a bit flabbergasted. “Unbelievable.”

The man said nothing to this, but his eyes narrowed; he looked to be typing something underneath the table, but maintained eye contact with Boba the entire time. It was almost as if this man was sizing him up – and Boba didn’t like that.

“What do they get?”

“A hefty reward, plus full pardons. They will be able to live freely without fear of retribution.” He didn’t skip a beat, as if this was something he rehearsed; Boba tried to ignore the knots in his stomach, but found it easier said than done. Something was up…

“And what if I say no?” Boba inquired, noting that a red laser dot appeared on the table; it slowly meandered up the length of his body to rest in the middle of his forehead… or so he assumed. He stiffened, and sighed. “I’ll talk to them, but there is no guarantee that they’ll agree.”

“Oh, I trust that you’ll convince them.” The Imperial leaned forward, a sinister smile creeping across his face. “Tell them that the Empire will… not take kindly to such defiance. Are we clear, Mr. Fett?”

"Crystal." Boba hissed as he extended his hand to shake; the man slipped him a comm. number and a list of names, before stealing away. Boba watched as the officer disappeared into the crowd, before peering down at the piece of flimsi;  _Cad Bane, Embo, Sugi, Latts Razzi, Bossk..._ everyone he expected to be there was. Now... he just had to find them.


	2. Reverie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ello! I am back with another chap! While the next few chapters may be weekly, I can't guarantee what happens beyond that. I hope people won't be too terribly disappointed.
> 
> With that being said, enjoy!

_Boba stood in the hallway, rocking on the balls of his feet as he stared at the door; it was his birthday, and his Daddy had invited all of Boba’s favorite people. He had stood there, waiting for what felt like an hour before Jango knelt beside him; Boba knew his father must've been confused, seeing as though Boba was not known to stay still for this long. They watched the door together for a few minutes, before Jango turned toward him._

_“Whatcha doin’, kiddo?”_

_“Waiting for Sugi and ‘Bo.” Boba grinned, his gaze still glued to the door; for some reason, Boba had always called the Kyuzo bounty hunter 'Bo'. It was a little silly, but it had stuck; even as an adult, he had trouble reminding himself to use the man's real name._

_Jango just chuckled as he patted his young son's shoulder. “Why don’t you help me make the cake – that way, they can help you decorate it when they get here.”_

_Boba’s eyes lit up and he turned on his heel to dart into the kitchen; he pulled his stool from the corner, and plopped it down in front of the counter. He climbed up, clapping enthusiastically as Jango set a large magenta bowl in front of him; he then handed his son the boxed cake mix, before instructing him to pour it into the bowl. Boba poured gently, precisely, and giggled when he didn’t spill any of it._

_“Now listen carefully, Boba; I need you to get a cup of water. Do you think you could do that?” Jango inquired as he handed Boba the cup measure; Boba nodded and scrambled toward the sink, his little heart racing. He reached for the edge of the sink, quickly realizing that he had forgotten his stool. He struggled to reach for a moment, before his attention was torn away by a knock on the door._

_Boba squealed as he dropped the measure and sprinted toward the door; it slid open, revealing the ever-mysterious Kyuzo bounty hunter. Embo bent down to ruffle Boba’s hair, and laughed when Boba jumped up and wrapped his arms around his neck._

_“’Bo, ‘Bo, ‘Bo!” Boba chanted as Embo stood, pulling Boba off the ground; the little boy swung from the Kyuzo’s neck, screeching in delight the entire time. Embo seemed entirely calm with a youngling hanging from his neck, and shrugged it off as completely normal; Boba later attributed this to the fact that the man had fifteen - **fifteen** \- younger siblings. Jango, on the other hand, was not pleased with Boba's behavior._

_“Boba, don’t be rude.”_

_Boba dropped to the ground at that, and rushed back to his father’s side; Jango hefted him up onto the counter, and handed Boba the cold, metal spoon._

_“Where’s Sugi?” Boba inquired as he stirred the cake goop; he stuck his finger into the batter and snuck a taste when his father was distracted. He hummed in pleasure before turning back toward the Kyuzo;_ _Embo gracefully entered the kitchen, and leaned against the counter opposite of Boba._

_“She’s wrapping your presents.” He whispered conspiratorially, causing Boba to buzz upon the counter._

_“Presents?”’_

_Embo nodded, before digging around in his bandolier; he withdrew a small candy, before passing it off to the birthday boy. Boba greedily took it and popped it into his mouth, savoring the way the fruit flavor played on his tongue. Jango shook his head, exasperatedly, as Embo offered Jango a similar candy; Jango thought for a moment, before taking the candy with the same sort of tenacity that Boba had._

_Boba was so focused on his candy that he didn’t witness the door slide open; when he looked up, he noted a precarious tower of presents carefully meandering toward the living room. When everything was nestled safely on the ground, Sugi appeared from behind the stack; Boba squealed again as he slipped off the counter and charged at her - full speed. She raised her hands in surrender, a loud laugh escaping her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist._

_“Hey, darling.” She gently kissed the top of his head and wrapped him in a bear hug; she then scooped him up under his arms and rested him on her hip. “You’re getting so big!”_

_He giggled as she dug around the pile for an unwrapped box; she gripped it in her free hand as she carried Boba over toward his father. He stared at the mountain of presents in awe, so engulfed in this that he barely noted her poking him in the side. She turned to him, and offered him the box; he accepted it graciously, before opening it to reveal an expensive bottle of brandy._

_“You two spoil us so.” Jango chuckled as he gently kissed her cheek; Sugi shot him a toothy grin as she bounced Boba a bit._

_“That’s why we’re your favorites. Right, Boba?”_

_Boba nodded enthusiastically as she set him down; he spared only a small glance at the gifts, before gripping her hand in his and pulling her toward the magenta bowl._

_“Help me make the cake-.” He felt his father's glare, and he frowned slightly. “Please!”_

_-_

Boba sighed as he sat up in his bunk in Slave One; he wasn’t sure how he felt about tracking down the people he had once called his family. On the one hand, he couldn’t wait to see them again – on the other hand, he hadn’t seen some of them in over ten years... people changed a lot in that amount of time.

He fumbled for his datapad, which rested at his side; it was triangulating the approximate locations of the bounty hunters, which was proving more difficult than Boba expected. There wasn’t much to go on, as they seemed to cover their tracks fairly well; they had all but disappeared according to the Empire, so he was going on hearsay at this point. And… unfortunately, most of the accounts were fairly unreliable.

He peered up at the screen, noting that there were several accounts of minor mercenaries spotting Cad on Tatooine; well, he knew where his first stop was. His datapad whirred angrily as it tried to filter the appropriate information, but didn’t produce any more results.

Boba sat up and tossed his datapad onto his bunk; he was hoping that he would’ve found Sugi first, as she scared him much less than Cad did. But as per usual, fate hated him and wanted him to go after the most dangerous one out of the group first.

He climbed up into the cockpit and plopped down into the pilot’s seat; Slave One roared to life, and slowly ascended into the atmosphere. Boba waited for the ship to clear the atmosphere before lazily entering the coordinates to Tatooine; he propped his feet up onto the dash, and leaned back in his chair.

His mind slowly drifted off, and Boba reveled in the memories.

\-              

_Boba peered out of his bedroom, watching as his father laughed with his friends; he was supposed to be asleep, but he didn't want to miss out on the fun. He stayed in the shadows, knowing that if he was caught, his father would promptly put him back to bed; he plopped down near his doorway, and rested his chin on his fist._

_“They ever going to release you from this prison?” Sugi inquired as she took a puff from a cigarette; a sweet smelling smoke wafted around the room, and Boba immediately memorized the scent. He let out a tiny sigh as he reveled in it._

_“Probably not. The longnecks need my DNA until they're ordered to stop making soldiers… and they’ve given me no indication that’s happening anytime soon.” Jango swirled the brandy around in his glass; Cad took a seat on his father’s lap, and the two shared a brief kiss. Cue a faux gag from Sugi._

_“Ugh...Get a room.”_

_Jango just rolled his eyes as he turned to plant a long, deep kiss to the Duro’s lips; Sugi just shook her head incredulously, while Embo giggled. Jango just raised his glass to them, before downing the drink; before Boba knew it Sugi had pulled his father up and the two were dancing. Cad had moved to sit on Embo’s lap, and the two spoke lowly._

_Boba couldn’t stop himself – he shot up and wandered into the room, hoping to join in on the fun. Everyone froze and turned to look at him, confused and horrified; he wasn’t aware of it then, but had he waited a few minutes, he could’ve witnessed some things that would scar him for life. Turns out, some people were feeling frisky that night..._

_Sugi looked up at Jango, before letting go of his hands; she started to approach Boba, a bit wobbly._

_“Darling-.”_

_“I got this.” Cad stood and tipped his hat toward the three; they slowly resumed their merriment as Cad led Boba back toward his room. Boba thought this was most odd; Cad generally wasn’t as warm and fuzzy as -say- Sugi or his father. Boba frowned, swearing that he was in trouble. “What were you doin’, kid?”_

_“I’m not tired.” Boba pouted as Cad gestured for him to climb back into bed; he did, and huffed when Cad pulled his quilt up to Boba’s chin._

_“When your dad puts you to bed, the idea is for you to stay in bed.”_

_“But I wanted to have fun with you guys!” Boba’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms over his chest._

_“You can – in the morning.” Cad knelt with a sigh, as he carefully removed his hat. “But right now, you need to sleep.”_

_“But why?”_

_“Because all good bounty hunters need rest. Especially the little ones.” Cad set his hat on Boba’s toy box, before offering the boy a fang-filled grin. “Can you guard my hat for me tonight? I don’t want it getting lost.”_

_Boba nodded slowly as he cast the leather hat a look; Cad awkwardly patted Boba’s head, before standing. “Goodnight, kid.”_

_“Goodnight.” Boba tried his hardest to stay awake, to prove that he really wasn’t tired. Against his will, he slowly drifted off to sleep._

_-_

Boba was jolted back into the present when _Slave One_ exited hyperspace; he had been to Tatooine more times than he could count, but every time the sandy planet appeared in his viewport, he felt a wave of disgust flow through his body. There was something about Tatooine that didn’t sit well with him – not to mention that it took hours to remove the sand from his armor.

He got why Bane would settle there, though; Jabba the Hutt was not friendly with the Empire, and it was less likely that Bane would be ratted out in the slug’s territory. It wouldn’t be the first place Boba would go, but he understood none the less.

He sighed as _Slave One_ entered the atmosphere, and he carefully started landing procedures; he stared down at the comm., noting that it was flashing. With another sigh, he answered it.

 _“May I ask what it is that you are doing here?”_ A rather mousy voice inquired.

“I’m looking for someone. That’s all you’re getting.” He cut off the transmission before they could say anything else; he didn't have the time to argue with some dock-keeper over his right to land there. He needed to get Cad, and get out.

The old ship touched down in Jabba’s shipyard, and Boba rose from the pilot’s seat. He gathered his gear and strapped it to his body, before finally grabbing his helmet; he debated for a moment, before putting it on and exiting the ship. He was not greeted by someone, as he half-expected; he did note that the dockmaster was watching him from the corner of his eyes, but the man made no move to stop him. Boba just gave the Rodian man a small nod, before strutting toward the expansive palace.

The doors were opened for him the moment he arrived, and he reveled in this sort of recognition; it was just a bummer that Jabba was willingly letting in someone who was supposed to end up destroying him in the near future…

Boba slowly made his way toward the bar, noting that the Hutt Lord was in the next room over; he wasn’t sure what the slug was doing, but judging by the grunts and hollers, he seemed to be enjoying himself. Boba shivered and curled his lip in disgust, before scanning the crowd of bar-goers; _scum, scum, scum… oh, hello._ His eyes rested on what looked like Cad’s infamous hat. Boba carefully approached, noting that the Duros hunter – _ex_ -hunter- seemed to be involved in his drink; and yet, as Boba carefully slid into the booth across from Cad, he knew that Cad was palming a blaster underneath the table.

“Whaddya want, Fett?” Cad drawled as he swirled the whiskey around in his glass; when Boba didn’t answer, Cad looked up. “Did Aurra send you to brag about her recent promotion?”

“No. I haven’t spoken to her in a few years now.” Boba slowly removed his bucket and set it down on the table; pain flashed in Cad’s blood red eyes as he observed Boba – the boy who shared a face with a man he once loved. Cad looked away, a low sigh escaping his lips.

“Are you just here to torment me, then?” Cad tipped his hat down, just slightly; Boba cocked a brow as the man stared into his drink.

“No. I have a business proposition.”

Cad perked at this, although he still seemed mightily displeased. “I just retired, kid. Why would you think I would want to come back?”

“I… have a feeling you will. But it’s not safe to talk about it here – do you have somewhere we could go?”

“Outside.” That was all Cad offered as he stood and walked out of the bar. Boba watched him leave before shaking his head; he snatched up his helmet and followed after the man, trying to ignore the guffaws of the crime lord. He meandered through the palace, nodding at anyone he recognized and brushing past those he didn't. Boba stepped out the doors, noting that Cad was leaning against the wall a few feet away. “What're ya here for?”

“I was hired to gather you and the others for a gig.” Boba knew the moment he mentioned the Empire, Cad would refuse – so he tried to ease the Duros into it.

“The others?”               

“Embo, Sugi, Latts, and Bossk.” This seemed to pique Cad's interest, but the frown on his face deepened; this was not a good sign.

“Why?”

“We would then – together- take down the Hutt Empires.” Boba stated quietly, hoping not to alert the Gamorrean guards nearby; he watched as Cad’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open. He tried to find the right words to say, before rubbing the back of his neck. Boba wasn't sure if Cad was shocked by the idea of dismantling an empire, or by the idea of the credits he would earn; at this point, Boba didn't really care.

“Who’s hiring?”

“The… Empire.” Boba faltered, noting the way that Cad shook his head; there was a moment of silence, and Boba was sure that Cad was going to refuse.

 “I’ll do it.”

 Had Boba been drinking something, he would’ve spit it out incredulously; he turned toward Cad, who was still frowning.

 “Alright. That’s… great! I didn’t even need to give you the spiel.” Boba hooked his bucket to his belt, before fishing around in his utility belt for a cigarette. He perched it between his lips and lit it, noting a chuckle from Cad.

“Vanilla flavored?” Boba just shrugged, feigning innocence; Cad bit his lip to keep from laughing. “I always thought she was a bad influence on you. Speaking of which, where is the old lady?”

“I was hoping you would have some sort of idea.” They started toward the docks; Boba noted that Cad hands still seemed to be hovering over his blasters, almost as if he still didn't trust Boba.

“My first and only guess would be Phatrong… but seeing as the Empire stripped the planet of anything useful… I’ve got nothing.”

“Yeah…” Boba rubbed the back of his head; he knew the Empire was shitty, but he had no other choice but to go through with the gig…. Right? 

“You know, Embo’s going to be hard to convince.”

“I realize this.” Boba frowned as they approached _Slave One_ ; he hadn't thought about that much until now. The fact that the Kyuzo's homeworld was destroyed and his people were enslaved... this didn't bode well for the gig. He was so involved with his thoughts that he didn't notice that Cad whipped out one of his blasters; he was wrenched from his thoughts when Cad pressed the barrel of the blaster underneath Boba's chin.

“I swear to the stars… if you betray me, I will end you.” As if to emphasize his point, he jabbed the barrel harder into Boba's skin. “Got it?”

“Yeah. I get it.” Boba waved him off, silently exhaling when Cad holstered his blaster; he watched as Cad climbed up into his beloved ship, before sighing. He hoped he wasn't making a terrible mistake.


	3. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's a day early because I'm trying to shift my post date to the weekends; I feel as though weekend posting is a smarter idea than monday posting. You'll notice that Boba seems a lot nicer than lot of people portray him as, and there is a reason for this. I want to shift the narrative on the hyper-masculine Boba to a Boba the feels and sympathizes and is all-around a good guy. Boba should be soft... just saying.
> 
> Thanks, as always, for reading. Enjoy! (I apologize if the characters are OOC, btw)
> 
> Warnings: Boy... is this a chapter a doozy. It's got attempted sexual assault, mixed with some fairly graphic violence in response to said attempt. Mentions of nudity and alcohol. If you read Sugi's backstory in Glimpses... it's similar to that.

“So… you’ve got no information about where the others might be. That’s just great.” Cad huffed as he reclined in the copilot seat of _Slave One_  ; Boba was squinting down at his datapad, hoping – nay, praying- that it would find anything to point them in the right direction. But alas…

“No. I have no idea.”

“Well… I can tell you with about fifty percent certainty that Latts is back home on Theel. You know… where the Theelins are from.” Cad teased, and Boba frowned; the old man was a lot snippier than Boba remembered, but he wondered if that was just symptomatic of aging. He hoped that Cad would mellow out with the others around, because he would go absolutely nuts if Cad acted like this the entire time.

“I’ve already thought of that… and I checked. There are no sightings of her there.”

“Of course not. To them, she’s probably just another Theelin.” Cad insisted, but Boba was having none of that.

“Look… I’m not going to go chasing imaginary leads. I’ll see if we can find anything else _before_ resorting to blindly searching.” Boba frowned when his datapad froze, and he had to reboot it; he was half-tempted to throw it out the airlock as he watched it slowly power off. “What about you? Do you have any leads… at all?”

“Do I?” Cad scratched his head, taking a moment to _really_ think; he just shrugged. “Maybe…”

“Yeah?” Boba scooted to the edge of his seat, waiting with baited breath; he would take anything, _anything_ , to get this gig going and done with.

“Hmm… I don’t remember.” There was a sort of smug grin on Cad’s face, and Boba knew the fucker was lying.

“You don’t remember?” Boba’s eye twitched as he balled his hands into fists; Cad was trying his patience, this much was absolutely certain. “Are you _positive_ that you haven’t been in touch with any of them?”

“Oh. Well, when you say it like that… yeah. I have.” Cad fished a cigar from his coat, before placing it precariously between his teeth; he lit the sucker, and drew in a long, smoky breath. “Last time I spoke to Embo, he was holed up on Nal Hutta with your _mama_.”

“Why didn’t you TELL ME THIS EARLIER!” Boba growled, to which Cad just chuckled; he tipped his hat down to hide his face, but Boba knew - _he knew_ \- that Cad was grinning. And it pissed him off.

“It was more fun to watch you struggle.”

Boba grumbled underneath his breath as he imputed the coordinates to Nal Hutta; he knew that as much as he wanted to throttle Cad, he need to keep his cool. This gig was not going to be easy, and he needed _all_ of the bounty hunters to pull it off.

Most of the ride was quiet. Cad had decided to take a nap, which Boba figured was an appropriate ‘old person’ thing to do. He kept his hat tipped down to block out the light,  wedged his hands under his arms; Boba fought the urge to laugh, certain that Cad would shoot him if he did.

Boba spent most of his time staring out at the hyperspace light show – or, that was, until his eyes grew weary and he had to look away. The stars had always fascinated him as a child, and to that day he still held a sort of fondness for them. He promised himself that he was going to be an explorer... turns out life had a different plan. It always did.

Boba wasn’t sure how many hours had passed until they jolted out of hyperspace; the only thing he knew was that this action startled Cad Bane from his nap, and the expression on his face was worth the price of admission. Boba stifled a giggle as the ship slowly started to approach the swamp world, ignoring the sideways glance Cad shot him.

“A little warning next time?”

“Nah. That was hilarious.” Boba cocked a brow, daring Cad to reply; Cad just sunk further into his seat with an unintelligible grumble and an unsophisticated pout.

They didn’t speak again until they touched down on the surface; Cad swiftly stood, stretched his surely aching appendages, and started out of the ship. Boba silently followed after the Duros hunter, watching as he readjusted his hat and sauntered outside.

“Did he tell you his exact location?”

“No. He’s too smart to do that.” The two cringed when they were hit by the muggy, stench-ridden air that Nal Hutta was so famous for. Boba had always hated Nal Hutta, and by the look on Cad’s face, Boba would say that Cad felt the same way. “But I have an idea of how to find him.”

They started into the town, Cad’s eyes scouring the signs hanging above the businesses; they meandered for a few minutes before Cad stopped Boba and pointed toward a squat, unassuming building. A bright, pink neon sign blinked above the establishment, which read ‘Josagee’s Gentleman’s Club’.

“That’s the place.”

“A gentleman’s club? That doesn’t seem like Embo’s style…” Boba frowned as he watched Cad approach the doors.

“It's not. But it’s Sugi’s.” Boba’s mouth hung open in shock, and Cad chuckled as he closed it. “What? She never told you about her night job?”

“No…” Boba frowned; he suspected this was some sort of sick joke, but he followed Cad into the club anyways. The club had a rather sleazy atmosphere, though Boba expected nothing less from a gentleman’s club on Nal Hutta; it was dark and smelled of vomit, and Boba found himself watching the ground to make sure that he didn't step in any of it. The people in the club were not much better; most of them looked wasted, and a majority of the male population was jacking it under the table. He didn't dare try to count how many were beating it, but he knew that it was more people than he was comfortable with.

A pale blue Twi'lek woman monopolized the single pole, dancing sloppily; it looked as though she hadn't eaten in months, and Boba instantly sympathized with her. The dark circles beneath her eyes and scabbing track marks on her arms betrayed that she was heavily into spice; Boba really didn't blame her - he had heard that this industry was terrible to women... especially Twi'lek women. 

Cad just hummed as he slid onto a stool at the bar; Boba sat down beside the ex-hunter and stared at the wall of booze behind the bartender. The two ordered drinks, before watching the end of the Twi'lek woman's routine. They received their drinks quickly, and Cad stopped the bartender before she had a chance to turn away.

“You ever heard of an ‘Indigo’?” Cad inquired as he slid his glass back toward the bartender.

“The stripper? Yeah, I know of her.” The pink Zeltron woman chuckled as she leaned against the bar; she gave Boba a sly grin, and winked seductively. Boba blushed. “You boys are just in time.”

Boba made the mistake of turning toward the stage at the swell of the music; standing there was the Zabrak woman… in a rather skimpy outfit that showed off _way_ too much. He coughed embarrassedly, before turning toward the bartender.

“You know her?” She frowned slightly.

“Yeah. She’s an… old friend.” Boba rubbed the back of his neck, trying to dissipate the blush he knew was on his face; the crowd went wild, and Boba figured that she had already started to undress. Cad just chuckled as he finished off his drink and patted Boba’s shoulder.

“I’m going to see if I can find the big guy. I’ll see you in a while.” Cad silently left after that, much to Boba’s chagrin; he waited for what felt like a century until the music stopped. It was then that he turned to her, noting that she was retreating through the back door; he discretely followed her outside, watching as she walked a few feet away leaned against the wall. She brought a cig to her lips, and he was honestly astonished that she had found a place to keep them since she was wearing nearly nothing. He went to call out to her, but stayed silent when he noted two men approaching her. He ducked behind the garbage bins, and watched the scene unfold.

“How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?” She inquired annoyedly as she took a drag of her cig; one of the men pushed her up against the wall, and drunkenly moved to kiss her. She just pushed him off and started back toward the door.

“You owe us, Indy.” The rejected man hissed as his buddy grabbed her under the arms and held her tightly. She squirmed, gnashing her fangs wildly. “We got you and your animal a place. Now you get to pay up.”

He started to untie his pants as his buddy dropped her to her knees and wrapped a hand around her throat. His member sprung free from its confines, the head of his cock slowly drawing across her lips; he gave her a rather creepy grin as he gave his disgusting cock a few pumps

“Open up. And don’t even think about biting down.”

Boba stepped out from his hiding place, startling both of the men; he crossed his arms over his chest unapprovingly, and clicked his tongue against his teeth. Both attackers seemed a bit nervous, and yet neither moved away from her.

“That’s some way to treat a lady.” Boba cocked a brow, noting that both men were subtly shaking. A small grin ghosted across his face as he took a step forward, and they flinched.

“W-why don’t you mind your own business?” The pantless man tried convincing Boba, but all he succeeded in doing was making Boba laugh.

“Because it looks like rape to me.” Boba just shrugged as he gripped his blasters. “And I'm not going to stand by and let it happen.”

“She’s… she’s just a whore. Who cares-.”

Sugi took the opportunity to slam her head back against her captor’s cock, before lunging forward; she sank her teeth into pantless’ thigh, and tore a chunk of flesh from his bone. She must’ve nicked his femoral artery as blood gushed uncontrollably from the wound; he desperately tried to quell the overwhelming bleeding, although he was ultimately unsuccessful. She stood, a snarl resting on her face as she spit the flesh onto the man’s sobbing visage.

“The bitch is fucking psycho!” The other man wheeled away, yelling madly; before he could get too far, Boba unholstered one of his blaster pistols and aimed at the man’s head. The bolt he fired hit its mark, the man’s head exploding like a ripe fruit; blood and brain matter splattered against the wall of the club as the now headless body fell.

“Thank you.” Sugi whispered as she licked the blood from her lips; she brushed the hair from her face, before offering him a gentle and gracious grin. At first, it seemed as though she didn’t recognize him, but as she stepped closer, her eyes grew wide. “Boba? Boba!”

She went to cover her wayward parts, and Boba could only laugh; the damage had already been done, there was no use covering what he had already seen.

“What are you doing here? Here!” She gestured to the club exasperatedly, almost like she was a mother that had stumbled across her son’s porn collection.

Boba face split into a grin as he wrapped her in an embrace; the last time they hugged was before his father’s death… she was soft and warm, and he had missed hugging her more than he realized. He almost didn’t want to let go.

“Look at you! You’re…. you’re all grown up. You look just like Jango… wait… there’s a reason for that…” Boba Fett grinned warmly as she rambled on, before she gestured to the door. “Stay here. I’ll go get dressed.”

She rushed off, leaving Boba alone in the alleyway; the remaining attacker was rasping at this point, the earth around him muddied by his crimson blood. Boba moved to stand before him, before pressing his boot to the man’s throat.

“Please, help me.” The man whispered, his eyes wide with fear. Boba just grinned as he slammed his boot down on the man’s throat, crushing his airway and effectively suffocating him.

“Alright, I’m decent now.” Sugi burst through the door wearing a dress and a large coat; she was carrying a purse, which he assumed held her earnings for the day. She led him out of the alley, delicately stepping over the bodies they left behind. “What have you been up to?”

“Ah, you know… a little bit of hunting here, a little bit of murdering there…. The usual.”

“I raised you right.” She snickered as she ruffled his hair; he just rolled his eyes as she led him through the streets in the direction he came. There was silence for a moment, before she chuckled. “I swore you were twelve years old just a few days ago… and now look at you! You’re a man! Agh, where does time go?”

“I hear that’s something that happens when you get old.”

“I am not old!” She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m only eighteen years older than you, pal.”

"That's still old." He whispered; this received a good-natured smack on the arm. 

She led him through the streets toward a rather plain-looking building; the first floor looked to be some kind of shop, with an apartment above it. She led him up the stairs to the second level, before pushing the door open. They both stepped inside, only for them to freeze at the sight of Cad straddling the Kyuzo bounty hunter.

“Really?” Sugi rested her fists on her hips, drawing their attention toward her; Cad offered her a cheeky grin, before climbing off of the man. Embo just looked straight up confused, but highly pleased; a purplish tint rested on his face as he watched Cad scurry off to the side. “You could’ve at least waited until kids were in bed.”

Boba and Cad shared glances as Embo promptly stood and straightened out his clothing. “Jas is giving Ilya a bath in the other room; they would be none the wiser. Beside, Cad and I weren’t going to go any further.”

"Not yet." Cad muttered to himself, giving the Kyuzo a wink; Embo rolled his eyes, but the blush still remained.

“Forgive me,” Boba took a few steps closer as he looked between the Zabrak and her Kyuzoni partner. “Kids?”

“What’s so unbelievable about that?” Sugi furrowed her brows and pursed her lips; she crossed her arms over her chest. “You think I’m not fit to be a mother? I mean, I did help raise you…”

“No, it’s not that…” Boba rubbed his head, before turning toward Cad for support; unsurprisingly, the Duros ducked outside, leaving him like he always did. Boba sighed as he tried to gather his wits. “It just complicates things.”

“What do you mean?” Embo inquired, crossing his arms over his chest; Boba sighed as he looked down at the floor.

“I need you back in the game.”


	4. Giving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back yet again with some sweet, sweet fanfic. Thank you to everyone who reads this, it totally means a lot. Please review if you can... so that I know people are actually enjoying this fic!
> 
> Enjoy!

_“Sugi!” Boba shot up out of bed, tears wetting his cheeks; ever since his father had been taken from him, he had dreams of everyone else he loved dying in his arms. The night before, it was Cad - he stood by helplessly as the Duros was disembowled by a Jedi's lightsaber. Tonight... it was something much, much worse..._

_The swishing of his door startled him from his thoughts; a tall, lean form stood in the doorway, outlined by the hall light. He held his breath, waiting for the fall-out; Aurra had been kind enough to take him in, but she was not the most caring woman in the world. It felt almost as if she was annoyed by his presence..._

_“What the fuck, Boba?”  Her voice was sharp but husky, as if he had awoken her from a deep sleep._

_“I had a nightmare.” He pulled the blanket up to his chin as he curled into a tiny ball; Aurra just huffed, her elongated fingers tapping the door frame._

_“Well, it wasn’t real.”_

_“I know that!” Boba roared, causing Aurra to take a step back; nothing ever startled the huntress, so Boba counted it as a small victory._

_She was silent for a while, and Boba could hear her mind whirring from where she stood. “Why Sugi? The woman’s a nutcase.”_

_“She cared for me like my father did. I… love her a lot.” Boba frowned as Aurra let out a sadistic laugh._

_“That’s why you’re so sentimental and weak. I originally thought your dad was going soft in his old age… but it was her all along.” Her laugh was like a knife in Boba’s side, and he sunk further into his blankets; if only he didn’t have to live with her… “Look, kid, you need forget about her. Attachments make you weak. Being weak gets you killed – and I promised your father that you would live as long as possible.”_

_There was a hint of tenderness in her voice, before it was replaced by her usual steeliness._

_“Just go back to sleep. And don’t you dare wake me up again.”_

_-_

The room was silent for what felt like an eternity; Sugi was frowning deeply, and Embo looked utterly shocked. Boba wasn't sure what to think, until a loud laugh boomed from between Embo’s lips; he incredulously laughed until he was struggling for breath and tears pricked at his eyes. Sugi shot her lover a glare, but he didn't seem to notice.

“I’m not sure if you heard me right. We… we have a family.” Sugi noted quietly as she elbowed Embo's side; he quieted after this, a rather cynical expression present on his face. “We can’t just up and leave them.”

“We’ve made a life here. We do honest work and make good money. Why would we want to give that up?” Embo added, and Boba rubbed his temples.

“Look, I get that… but this gig will give you both a handsome pay-off and full pardons.” He tried to convince them, but this was met with a grimace from both of them; they turned to face each other, before shaking their heads

“Boba, look… I love you like one of my own… but I can’t leave. I’m sorry.” Sugi whispered as she gently gripped Embo’s hand; they seemed really happy, and it broke Boba's heart that he had to force them into this. Boba sighed, his employer's threat still ringing in his mind.

“I can’t accept that.”

“You’re going to have to.” Embo was growing edgier by the moment, as if he believed that Boba was going to attack them. Boba was honestly a touch offended, and subtly ducked into a defensive position. Should the Kyuzo attack... he needed to be ready to move out of the way - because there was no way he could fight Embo off. 

“Look, guys… if you don’t take this gig, the Empire will hurt you… or your children. They already said-.”

Before he had time to react, he was slammed up against the wall; a large hand held him up by his throat, and for a moment, he swore Embo was about to snap his neck. He clawed at the hand around his throat, trying to convince Embo to loosen his grip.

“Don’t you _dare_ threaten my family!” Embo’s snarling visage was honestly terrifying, and it took all of Boba’s resolve not to whimper. He struggled against Embo’s grasp as he grew lightheaded; if he didn't get air soon, he was going to pass out...

From the corner of his eye, he noted a young woman approaching them; she carried a small bundle in her arms, which was whining unhappily. From where he was, the girl looked terrified - and it seemed as though he wasn't the only one which caught on.

“Embo!” Sugi snapped, and he promptly dropped Boba; he coughed and sucked in as much air as his lungs would allow, before watching the Zabrak jut her finger at the girl. Embo's expression softened in an instance, and he meandered over toward her. Boba rubbed his neck, checking to make sure there wasn't too much damage done; he flinched when Sugi gripped his arm, her anger searing him more than Embo's ever would.

“You took a job from the Empire?” The rage and fear in her eyes haunted Boba for many years beyond this gig; she looked so broken... “How… how could you?”

In this moment, he felt the world come crashing down around him; her amber eyes welled with tears as she looked over at the man she loved and the children she cared for. She crossed her arms over her chest, and bit her lip to keep from crying.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” He whispered as he gently gripped her shoulder; she looked as though she wanted to pull away... but just didn't have the strength to. “I wouldn’t have done it if they hadn’t made me… they were going to kill me…”

Sugi frowned as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the heels of her hands. “We’re… going to need time to think.”

Boba nodded as he left the room, allowing them time to think things over; he knew it was a tough decision, and he desperately wished he hadn't been forced to take the gig.

- 

They had been arguing for what felt like forever; Embo seemed adamant that they not get involved with the Empire, but Sugi kept reminding him that they would probably end up  _dead_ if they didn't play along. There was a lot more crying than Boba was comfortable with, and he tried to occupy himself with anything else; he stepped outside for a moment, and hurriedly lit a cigarette.

"Must be a bit tense in there, hmm?" Cad chuckled, rolling a cigar between his fingers.

"You have no idea." Boba hummed as he inhaled the sweet smoke; Cad sighed.

"I wouldn't expect anything else." 

The door slid open, startling Boba enough that he nearly dropped his cigarette; he turned, staring at the two bounty hunters in question.

“We’ll come with you.” Boba looked up as the two ex-hunters approached; they both looked emotionally worn out, and Boba felt awful because of it. He turned toward the two, noting the downright murderous glance in Embo’s eyes; he kept a protective hand on Sugi’s shoulder as she bounced the bundle in her arms. “But the kids come with us… at least, until we find somewhere safe for them to stay.”

It was ridiculously dangerous to bring children with them, even for a little bit. They were bounty hunters, after all, and it was never a good idea to involve children; although, he wasn't one to speak, seeing as though that was what his father did with him. He sighed, before nodding; Embo disappeared inside for a moment, only to reappear with the young Zabrak woman and a few bags of their things.

“Embo and I will take the Ilya in the _Halo_. Can you possibly take Jas with you? It’ll be tight enough as it is.”

Boba sent a glance to the teenager, before trying to figure out how that would work; he nodded, but didn't say anything as the group headed toward the docks. Cad immediately wandered to Embo's side, his hand gently rubbing the Kyuzo's shoulder. Boba took to Sugi's side, peering down at the tiny troublemaker in her arms; it was a bright-eyed pale child, who reached for Boba.

“She likes you.” Sugi whispered, and Boba grinned softly; a part of him… was almost jealous of the bundle. The little one was now fulfilling the role he once had and he missed it; he wished he was that little boy again… things were simpler then. “I don’t blame you, Boba. I would've done the same thing if I was in your position.”

“And ‘Bo? Does he blame me?” Boba inquired as both of their gazes shifted to the Kyuzo hunter; he seemed tense, as if he had been carrying the weight of the galaxy for a while now. “He looks pissed.”

“He is… but not at you. He’s been mad at the Empire since it began; his people were enslaved, and he is treated like shit by most everyone... I think that a lot of it is stress and anxiety at this point…” Sugi sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck and shifted her baby; it reached for Boba, and he hesitantly offered the little one his finger. “We’re all undermedicated and overtired.”

“So what’s the deal with-?”

“Ilya?” Boba nodded, and Sugi just chuckled. “You’re too young to remember the benders I used to go on... but it was like that. I was taking risks and popping pills… she was just a little bonus.”

Boba let what she had said mull in his head for a while, before shaking his head. “I’m sorry that life has been so hard for you.”

“Eh… It’s not a problem. I’ve been managing.” She grinned largely, almost as if the problems in her life were just trivial inconveniences. He had never seen her unmedicated, but he was aware that she was very mentally ill; she had been through more than anyone should've been through in her life, so it was no surprise. He just hoped that the Empire would be as understanding. “Embo is the one that you should be worried about. His anger will be effective when taking down our targets… but I wouldn’t push boundaries. He could explode at any moment. Boom!”

She giggled, and Boba blinked over at her; he sighed, before noting that he was receiving death glares from the Kyuzo in question. Had it been anyone else, Boba would’ve confronted him... but he knew the Kyuzo could break him over his knee… and Boba didn’t want to die just yet.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, before meandering over toward Cad; the Duros was beaming by the time Boba reached him, and Boba was immediately suspicious.

“You’re going to let me fly _Slave One_ , right?” Cad goaded, and Boba shook his head.

“Don’t even think of touching my ship.” Boba threatened.

“Not even to Theel?” Cad prodded, and Boba Fett continued to shake his head. 

“No.” At this, Cad relented; they reached the docks a few minutes later, where Sugi and Embo gently hugged Jas and reassured her that they would see her in a few hours. Despite being as angry as he was, Embo was surprisingly gentle with Jas – Boba wondered what afforded her this luxury.

Jas took to his side, her eyes going wide at the sight of the ship. “Beautiful.”

“Isn’t she?” Boba chuckled as he ran his hand along the metallic surface; a pang of longing filled his body as he thought about his father and the adventures the two of them had been on. He missed those days… why did he have to grow up so fast?

Both Jas and Boba shared a grin as they climbed up into the ship, with Cad bringing up the rear; he nestled Jas in the ship’s quarters, hoping she would be more comfortable there. He and Cad moved toward the cockpit; once settled in, Cad turned to look at him.

“I miss your father.”

Boba sighed. “Me too.”

Their moment of bonding was cut short by the sound of the comm. beeping. Cad answered it, and Boba reveled in the sound of Sugi’s honied voice.

 _“We are all set. It’s going to be an interesting ride for us… Ilya has never flown.”_ The _Halo_ roared to life, and a deafening scream sounded over the comm. Boba rubbed his ears, his hearing gone for a good minute or so; by the looks of it, Cad was experiencing something similar. _“So… where are we going?”_

“Do you know where Latts is?” Boba inquired, to which Sugi hummed.

_“No. I would say Theel, though. She always spoke about how much she missed her mothers.”_

“Alright, then. We’re heading to Theel.” Cad cackled in the background, probably teasing Boba that ‘he told him so’. Boba could care less; he ignored the Duros as he started up _Slave One_ , and the ship took to the skies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW if you enjoy this, go check out Cadenza by nurd4lyfe. It's a great collection of oneshots... mainly about Embo/Sugi. They're good... promise.


	5. One More Piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello! Have another chapter. It's relatively tame in the grand scheme of things, but get prepared for brutality later. It's going to get rough in the next few chapters.
> 
> Enjoy! (Btw hit me up @ iridonian-goddess.tumblr.com with questions, requests, or just to scream about bounty hunters. I'm friendly, promise)

_ “Why am I learning to dance?” Boba growled as he stared across the room at Latts; she was standing precariously on the tips of her hooves, not wobbling in the slightest. If Boba hadn’t been mad at the galaxy, he probably would’ve appreciated just how strong Latts was. _

_ “It helps with flexibility and coordination.” Latts bent forward, still balanced on her hooves as her fingers brushed against the ground; she stood straight, before dropping to the flat of her hooves. _

_ "It’s stupid.”  _

_ “Perhaps.” Latts shrugged as adjusted Boba’s stance; she then dipped, and Boba followed suit, grumbling the entire time. “But you know that hunters like Embo dance, right?” _

_ “What?” This intrigued Boba, and Latts knew she had grabbed his attention; she sat down, and he made a move to do the same. Although he didn’t see it now, Latts was another very motherly figure in his life. She cared for him… and he didn’t even take the time to thank her… _

_ “It’s true. I’ve danced with him before.” Latts chuckled as she bent forward to touch the tips of her hooves; Boba copied her, before rolling his neck. “Dancing is a very important part of his culture, and that’s how he stays connected with it. It also happens that most of his fighting is inspired by dance.” _

_ She stood, demonstrating common defensive moves; Boba could recognize them as moves that he had seen Embo and Cad use. Boba was entranced at this point, watching as she jumped and twirled about their make-shift studio. _

_ “And dancing is important to someone like Sugi, too.” Boba noted the light blush on the Theelin’s face, and he grinned; Latts had blabbered on and on about the Zabrak woman, so Boba had easily gathered that they were a thing. “It’s her job to go undercover and convince people that she’s someone she’s not. Sometimes, she must dance in a gala,” _

_ Latts pretended to dance with a partner, twirling and dipping them; Boba fought back a chuckle as she stopped before him. She bowed, basking in what he imagined was imaginary applause. _

_ “And sometimes, she has to dance in a club.” Latts grabbed at one of the support poles, before whirling around it; she landed in a split, at which Boba cringed. How she could do that… he wasn’t sure; but it looked absolutely painful. _

_ "Okay, okay… I get it.” Boba grinned as he stood; he stretched, before bouncing around on the balls of his feet. “Teach me everything you know.”            _

_ Latts beamed, probably glad that she had gotten through to him; she bowed to him slightly, before teaching him a simple bend. _

\- 

“You alright, kid? You seem a little spacey.” Cad snapped his fingers in Boba’s face, immediately startling Boba from his thoughts; Boba smacked his arm, before huffing.

“I’m fine.” If he was honest, he wasn’t sure how he felt; as much as he loved being around them again, it was overwhelming. So much had changed with all of them... he just needed some time alone to think everything over. But it seemed as though he wouldn't be afforded the luxury.

His comm. beeped the moment they exited hyperspace; he rushed to answer it, hoping that Sugi was on the other end. He was sorely disappointed when the voice which projected from the other side was proper and masculine.  _ “Young Fett… how is your gig going?” _

“Perfectly.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What’s up?”

_ “We just want to let you know that we’re going to be taking precautions. When you get them, bring them to these coordinates for an evaluation.” _

"Evaluation? What kind of eval?" Boba interrupted, stopping the man from listing his location.

_ "We're going to make sure they are up to that task; there will be a short psychological eval, followed by an extensive physical test." _  The man sighed, as if heavily inconvienced; Boba frowned.  _ "Would you like the coordinates now?" _

"Go ahead." Boba scribbled the coordinates down on a piece of flimsi before ending the transmission; he stuck the flimsi to the wall of his ship before turning toward Cad, his frown deepening. Cad's gaze was surprisingly steely, as if he suddenly didn't trust Boba.

“You know… some people aren’t going to pass that eval.”

“I’m aware.” He shivered at this; he wasn’t sure what would happen should they fail either test, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t good. 

He ran his hands through his hair, sighing defeatedly; his fingertip danced over his comm. for a few minutes as he tried to think of what he could tell the other group. Nothing came to mind, but he called them anyways.

_ “Hello?” _ He took solace in Sugi’s warm voice, letting it take him back to his past.  _ “Hello? Boba, are you there?” _

“Yeah, sorry.” Boba shook himself from his thoughts, noting an eyeroll from Cad. “I’m thinking that I’ll grab Latts by myself. I know that you probably don’t want to be lugging around the kids.”

_ “On the contrary, I’d rather come with you.”  _ Sugi chuckled, and Boba noted Embo’s hum of agreement. He should’ve guessed that she would want to see her ex-girlfriend; he sighed lowly, before shaking his head.

“Fine, fine. I have no problem with that.” He rubbed his temples, before starting the landing procedures; he, personally, thought it was irresponsible to drag children around Imperial-occupied Theel… but he didn’t move to stop them.

Boba Fett landed  _ Slave One  _ in the capitol city, hoping that Latts would be there by some miracle; he led Cad and Jas out of the ship, and the group watched as  _ The Halo _ touched down. The dock keeper came by to run the ships’ serial numbers, and nodded when they came through as clean.

“So… where do we start?” Sugi inquired as she climbed down the ladder; strapped to her chest was her baby girl, who looked to be sleeping – at least she would be quiet.

“Not sure. I know her mothers are powerful people… but that’s all I’ve got.”

“That’s helpful.” Sugi shook her head, before wandering into the city like a lost soul; both Boba and Embo started after her, the latter grabbing her hand to make sure that she didn’t wander too much. Boba turned back, noting that Cad was shaking his head somberly.

“Are you going to tell them?” He inquired as he pulled a cigar from his pocket.

“Eventually…” He watched as the two interacted; for all of his supposed anger, Embo was eerily calm and gentle around his partner. At least he wasn’t mad at everyone...

“I would do it sooner than later. They’ll want to prepare.”

“You do realize that you will be a part of the evals, too. Do you think you can handle it?” Boba watched as Bane thought for a moment; his shoulders sagged, as if he didn’t believe that he could.

“I’ll have to.” Cad tried to convince himself; Boba was caught between patting his shoulder reassuringly and leaving him alone. He decided on the latter, figuring he would rather keep his hand.

The group had been walking for what felt like forever before something grabbed Sugi’s attention. She neared a business, a smile growing on her face.

“I think I found her!” Sugi cried, slamming her fist through a window in order to grab something; Boba panicked and rushed to her side as she retracted a flier. She seemed oblivious to the blood pouring from her fist and wrist as she handed it to him.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Embo hissed as he grabbed her injured arm and wiped away the blood with his kama; she cringed as he started to pick the pieces of glass from her hand.

“Dunno.” She turned her attention away from his grumbling form. She seemed proud. “Look!”

The flier contained a photo of Latts dancing, denoting that she was going to be performing in the city’s theater soon. Boba just chuckled as he broke from the group to head toward the theater, ignoring the shouts of the miffed store owner.

“Of course.”

-

He pushed the front doors open, avoiding the shouting ticketmaster; he prowled down the long aisle, his eyes resting upon the pirouetting Theelin. She looked as graceful as he remembered, as she dipped and jumped; he watched her for a moment, mesmerized, before remembering what he was doing there.

“Hey, Razzi!”

Startled, she buckled and stumbled; she managed to save herself from a fall, but just barely. She looked around the dark theater, trying to find who had spoken to her; she didn’t seem to see him as she took a startled step backwards. Not wanting her to flee, he moved closer.

“Boba?” She gasped, before gracefully hopping off the stage and landing in front of him; before he could react, she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. “You’re so old!”

“So are you.” He grinned; Latts scoffed as she pulled back, her hands gently gripping his shoulders. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Well we’re looking for you, actually.”

“We?” Her attention snapped upward when she heard a whistle, and her eyes welled with tears; she brushed past him to run up the aisle, tossing her arms around her ex. They gently kissed, and Sugi wiped the tears from Latts’ cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. 

“Hey, you.”

She took a step back to observe the motley group; a wide grin split her face as she turned toward Boba.

“What is this? A bounty hunter reunion?”

“You could call it that.” Boba chuckled as Latts went to hugging Embo, and then Cad; Cad looked alarmed and confused, but gently patted her back. From what Boba could remember, Latts and Cad never really worked together, so Cad’s reaction was understandable.

“Wow… I feel old.” She chuckled as she looked at all of them. “How long has it been?”

“A few years.” Sugi chuckled, as she wrapped her arm around the Theelin woman; the two shared in another, brief kiss before Latts peered down at the sling. Her eyes went wide.

“You-.” She waited for Sugi’s permission before grabbing the napping babe; she held Ilya close to her, tenderly stroking her cheek. “She’s precious.”

One by one, the group started to file out of the theater; Boba caught up to Latts, noting that she was gushing over the baby.

“Are you busy?” Boba whispered, trying not to disturb Ilya. “Because we need to talk.”

Latts glanced around at the bounty hunters, before shrugging. “I was about to have lunch with my mums. Say, are you guys hungry?”

Boba went to turn Latts down when he noted that his stomach rumbled; he sighed, before nodding. “I could do lunch.”

-

Latts’ mothers were lovely older ladies, who lived in a mansion on the outskirts of the city; they were obviously rich, and Boba made a mental note that he wanted to live like this when he grew old. 

The two welcomed the group with open arms, as if having a band of bounty hunters as company was no big deal. Boba was honestly thankful for this short reprieve.

They sat the group down around a large table, and apologized for the delay; Ilya was bouncing on the knee of one of Latts’ mothers, cooing lowly. Jas was sitting between Sugi and Embo, and was looking rather withdrawn.

“Latts spoke of you often.” Meetra, the woman holding Ilya, noted as her gazed followed the maids that filled their drinks. “In fact, she was mentioning how much she missed her friends just last night.”

“It must be divine intervention.” Latts’ other mother, Aphera, added.

“With… the galaxy as tense as it has been, we were sure that we would never be able to meet.” Meetra frowned, as though she held a certain disdain toward the Empire; Aphera nodded sagely. “The Empire has been… particularly harsh to those who don’t look like them.”

“They’re taxing us to death.” Aphera sighed; this garnered a low growl from Embo, and Boba stiffened. It seemed as though the older women picked up on it, and Aphera quickly added to her statement. “Even though it’s bad, it’s not nearly as bad as what they are doing to other peoples.”

The maids burst from the kitchen to serve them their lunch; it consisted of sandwiches and veggie sticks, which seemed like a very rich person lunch. Boba only ate his because he was starving, but he noted that the other hunters weren’t nearly as desperate.

“So, what exactly are you doing here?” Meetra inquired, and Boba looked over at Latts; he didn’t want to be discussing their gig with her mothers around, but he felt as though he had no other choice.

“Well… we need you back in the game.” He directed his attention toward Latts, who looked like she had choked on a bite of her sandwich.

“Boba… I left that life behind.”

“So did we.” Embo replied dryly as he swallowed down the drink he had been provided. “And yet, here we are. You gonna give her the spiel, child?”

Boba flinched at his harshness, before sighing; it would be interesting to see how they would take this... “The Empire-.”

“Ohhhhh no.” Meetra shook her head, before handing Ilya back to Sugi; she looked absolutely appalled at the idea of sympathizing with the Empire. “Latts is reformed. She won’t risk her reputation by working with the very Empire that oppresses her people.”

“She’ll receive a handsome reward. And the Empire will issue her a full pardon.” Boba relayed, wondering how Latts did anything with parents like hers. Sure, it seemed as though they meant well… but gods did they seem a little controlling.

Latts seemed to perk at this, but her mothers were not as easily convinced. “Uh-uh. Not going to happen.”

“If she doesn’t join us…” Boba sighed as he looked over at Embo and Sugi; for once, Embo looked defeated rather than angry, and Sugi looked as though she was emotionally drained. “The Empire wanted me to tell you that they will not take kindly to such defiance. My best guess is that they’ll kill you two or destroy the planet.”

Meetra’s and Aphera’s faces fell, but Latts grew furious; she slammed her glass down on the table, spooking the baby enough to make her whimper.

“Why did you take the job if you knew it was going to hurt us? WHY?!” She looked so betrayed, and it hurt Boba to see her this way. He wished none of this had happened…

“They were going to blow my head off if I said no! What was I supposed to do?!” Boba threw his hands into the air, feeling as though he had failed her; an uneasy feeling settled in the air, broken only when Ilya began to cry. Sugi bounced her, trying to settle her; when she wouldn’t stop weeping, Sugi excused herself.

There was silence for what felt like an eternity, before Latts finally gave in.

“I’ll go.” Latts whispered as she spared a glance at her mothers; they looked heartbroken as she stood and bowed slightly to them. She sent a look to the other bounty hunters, before silently leaving the room.

Meetra stood and looked over at Embo; he was whispering lowly to Jas until he noticed that he was being watched. “Aphera and I would be more than happy to watch the younglings for you.”

“Are you sure?” Embo inquired as he stood; Jas followed suit, albeit a little wary. “We wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense. It’s been a while since we’ve had children in the house – it’ll be wonderful.”


	6. Homines de Imperii

Boba sent a glance over to Latts, who sat in the copilot’s seat of _Slave One_ sharpening her blade scarf; Cad had decided to take a nap in the quarters, probably so Boba and Latts could talk. The woman was frowning at the sound of the whetstone grinding against the metal, and Boba could only sigh.

“You know I wouldn’t have taken the gig if they hadn’t threatened me.”

“I know.” Latts exhaled slowly, before shoving the stone back into her backpack; she kicked her feet up onto the dash, and reclined the seat. “I’m just worried about what they’ll do when we finish whatever it is that they hired us for.”

Boba nodded understandingly as he input the coordinates to Coruscant; Bossk was the last piece to the puzzle, and Boba knew for a fact that the lizard was there. For some reason, he wasn't in hiding like the others - Boba never asked why. He watched as the ship jumped into hyperspace, sighing lowly when he heard Latts sniffle.

“Do you think… do you think I’ll ever see my mothers again?” Latts inquired grimly, her voice cracking; she stared out the solarscreen, watching as the lights danced across the screen. Even in the lowlight, Boba could tell that tears were streaming down her cheeks.

“I…” He rubbed his tired eyes. “I don’t know. I keep getting mixed signals from the Empire...”

She exhaled sharply as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “The funny thing is… I feel worse for Sugi than I do for myself. Sure, I love my mothers but… Sugi has a baby; I can’t imagine what she must be going through.”

Boba said nothing at this; he felt bad enough as it was... maybe he just should’ve let them shoot him in the head… It would’ve been better than making those he loved suffer.

 

- 

_“Watch and learn, kid.” Bossk hissed as he touched his clawed fingers to the tracks in the Tatooine sand. The Trandoshan was the first bounty hunter to join with Boba Fett, although Boba was sure it was by orders of Aurra, or maybe even Jango many moons ago. While Boba had a more personal relationship with the other hunters, Bossk was still vitally important in Boba’s journey to where he was now._

_Boba was dismissive of this lesson, just as he had been with Latts'; his pain far outranked any sense of foresight, as he had rather stewed in his anger than listen to anyone._

_“Pay attention!” Bossk snapped; he was much different than Aurra in that his impatience was rarely ever connected with anger. Aurra was cold and calculating – Bossk, for some odd reason, kind of cared for him. “Tracking your prey is just as important as killing it.”_

_“Yeah, but you have an unfair advantage. You can smell them.”_

_Bossk just huffed as he gestured for Boba to kneel down; Boba stood there defiantly, arms crossed over his chest. Bossk growled as he stood and peered down at the boy – Boba had always been intimidated by the Trandoshan, especially when he towered over Boba like this._

_“I get it. You're angry.”_

_“Do you really understand?” Boba balled his fists, to which Bossk just blinked. "You know nothing of what I feel."_

_“Ssscream.” Bossk demanded, much to Boba's surprise; at first, Boba swore it was a joke - but the expression on Bossk's face betrayed that he was entirely serious._

_“W-what?”_

_“Gotta get your anger out sssomehow. Ssscream.” Bossk demonstrated by roaring into the tranquil sky; they were far enough away from people that no one would notice the noise. Still, Boba felt silly._

_Boba huffed, before giving in; he yelled, pathetically at first. Even though it seemed irrationally stupid at first, he had to admit that it made him feel a little better._

_“Louder!”_

_Boba yelled, a little louder; all the rage and hatred he was holding in his body started to dissipate. He looked up at Bossk, who looked infinitely proud._

_“LOUDER!”_

_Boba let out his loudest scream yet, finally letting go of all the negative emotions he had bottled up for years. He screamed until his voice was hoarse, and then until he lost his voice entirely; Bossk gently patted him on the back._

_"Nice job, kid." He knelt down once more, before pressing his claw to the imprint in the sand._

_-_

To say that Boba Fett wanted to scream was… an understatement; oddly enough, that had been one of Boba’s go-to coping methods for stressful situations. But he couldn’t scream in the cockpit of _Slave One -_ ; at least, not without grabbing undue attention.

He instead just clenched his fists and ground his teeth, watching as Latts rose from her seat for the fifth time; she seemed antsy, and he honestly wasn’t surprised. She moved to leave the room, only for the comm. to beep; Boba answered it and Latts sat back down, just in time for _Slave One_ to jolt out of hyperspace.

 _“’Ello, Boba.”_ Sugi chirped; Boba could hear Embo’s voice rumbling in the background, but he couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. _“As much as Emmy and I love Bossky-boy, we think it would be better if we were to stay behind.”_

“Why’s that?” Boba inquired; he sent Latts a glance, noting the frown present on her face. He swore the woman was jealous...

_“Well...uh… we… don’t want to crowd the poor man.”_

“Okay… that’s fine.” Boba chuckled as he started landing procedures; he ignored the huff from Latts as he tapped his fingers against the dashboard. “Who should I send over, Cad or Latts?”

Sugi sputtered, trying to find her tongue; Embo temporarily took control of the comm.. _“You’re funny, Fett.”_

Embo ended the transmission, much to Boba's chagrin; he didn't mind having them stay behind, as he'd rather approach Bossk on his own anyways. The less the other hunters were involved with, the better.

Boba hadn’t set foot on Coruscant in years now… and boy had it changed; a good portion of the city was in ruins, and it smelled of fire. Just over the horizon, he noted the old senate building; just beyond that was the ruins of the Jedi Temple. It still looked as though people were traveling to and from the smoldering wreck, probably in search of valuable relics that had long been stolen. It was honestly sad to see everything crumble the way it did.

He ‘borrowed’ a speeder and descended to level 1313, which was where Bossk's old apartment was; he would start there and work his way through the various bars in the area. Bossk had never been much of a bar-goer, but time changed people - sometimes for the worst. It certainly changed him.

When he got there, he noticed that many of the buildings had been leveled - including Bossk's old apartment. A frown formed on Boba's face as he delved deeper into the area. The first few bars were a bust, containing only washed up Imperial soldiers and petty criminals; like most of the buildings in the area, a good portion of the bars had been completely destroyed. Luckily for him, he happened across a club that looked promising - it was just unfortunate that it took him three hours to find it.

Boba scoured the bar, his eyes immediately locking onto the hulking figure of the Trandoshan. He sat at the bar with a Duros girl on his lap… which was an odd thing for Bossk to do; he had never been much of a ladies man. But that didn’t even matter to Boba.

He slid up onto the stool beside Bossk, startling when he felt a large, clawed hand grab his shoulder. “Boba? Isss that you?”

He nearly pushed the girl off him as he turned to face the young bounty hunter; Boba frowned slightly as he turned toward the bartender to order a drink.

“Hello, Bossk.” He received his drink and knocked it back, grinning when Bossk gently shook him.

“You're here because of the Empire.”

“Wha-?”

“They called me earlier, told me you were coming.” He crossed his arms over his chest; Boba’s brows furrowed as he watched the Trandoshan. Why in the galaxy would the Empire get in contact with Bossk? Are they really that impatient? “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”               

“They called you because…?”

“I’ve been doing some minor jobssss with them… they knew I would be the easiest to convince.” It startled Boba to learn that one of his mentors had already been working with the Empire; he frowned, and clasped his hands.

“Oh. Nice.”

Bossk didn’t seem to notice his contempt, as he gathered his stuff and paid his tab; he gestured for Boba to lead the way, and the two left the bar.

- 

Boba paused as he looked up at _The Halo_ ; he sighed lowly as he knocked on the ship’s door, and waited for a response. Generally, he would’ve walked right in but… he didn’t want to interrupt anything. He waited a moment, before knocking again.

The door slid open, and he was greeted by a surprisingly well-rested Sugi; she leaned against the doorjamb with a cigarette between her fingers. She cocked a brow when she noticed him, before lazily snuffing out the cig.

“What’s up, kid?”

“I need to talk to the both of you.” With that, Sugi stepped aside to let him in; he entered, following her toward the ship's quarters. She punched the doorpad, the door dramatically sliding open; Boba held his breath for a moment.

“Boba.” Embo frowned as he sat up, crossing his arms over his bare chest; he shot a glance to Sugi, who just shrugged. “What do you want?”

“I just thought I should let you know about something the Empire has planned.” He leaned up against the wall, watching their expressions carefully; for once, Embo didn’t look nearly as pissed, and this was a relief. However, they both shared the same expression of anticipation and terror. “They’re going to put you through psychological evaluations… I-I don’t know what’s going to happen if you fail.”

The room was silent enough that one could figuratively hear a pin drop; Embo looked as though he was struggling to find his tongue, while Sugi just laughed bitterly.

“Well, I’m fucking screwed.” She ran her hands through her hair. “I’m screwed. I’m so screwed.”

Without warning, she slammed her injured fist into the metal wall; Embo shot up, gripping her elbow with a firm tenderness.

“What did I tell you about punching stuff?” He whispered gently, as he gently rubbed her hand to check for broken bones; her bottom lip quivered as he pressed a kiss to her hand.

“I’m sorry.” She whimpered, sounding more akin to a kicked Anooba than a top-tier bounty hunter; Embo just whispered lowly to her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s alright. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Boba offered the two of them sad smiles before wandering off the ship; who knew what the Empire had in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at iridonian-goddess on tumblr for some sweet bounty hunter content.


	7. Caedis

The coordinates given to Boba led to the Imperial ship, the  _ Oblivion _ , which was hovering over a small moon; accompanying the starship were two equally large and intimidating ships, the  _ Annihilation _ and the  _ Reaper _ . What the trio were doing near the moon was beyond Boba - if he had to guess… something was about to go down.

They landed in the  _ Oblivion _ , Boba’s passengers noting the sheer amounts of bodies milling about with a sense of awe. It took nearly a city’s worth of people to effectively run one of the ships; he knew this only because he had the pleasure of wandering about the late Republic’s equivalent when he was much younger. He was sure his teammates were not afforded the same privilege.

They were greeted by a young officer and a squad of armor-clad soldiers -  _ Storm Troopers _ , the face of terror in the galaxy. They were the ones to enslave species and destroy planets; and yet, Boba didn't find them frightening. Their armor was as familiar to him as Kamino was. No, the frightening one was the grey suit before him; the officers were the ones to give the orders from the comfort of their offices. They were malicious and uncaring... and this young woman was no different.

"Welcome aboard the  _ Oblivion _ . I am Officer Liaeza, your guide." She gestured for them to follow her; her tour was short, amounting to 'here's your room and some other fun stuff'. Boba didn't mind though; he preferred spending the least amount of time with the Imps as possible.

Much to  _ some people’s _ chagrin, they were separated by gender (or, rather, the Empire's narrow definition of gender); despite knowing and loving Latts, Sugi seemed highly uncomfortable at the thought of being separated from Embo. Embo seemed to feel similarly, making Latts promise to watch out for his Zabraki lover. 

Luckily for Boba, he was stuck with the Kyuzo. The man spent most of the night staring down at a table with four pens on it; he would knock his knee against the table, and would watch as the once neat pens went in all sorts of directions. 

“What is it that you’re doing?” Boba inquired as he checked the chrono on the wall. “It’s two in the morning.”

“I’m trying to prepare.” He growled, giving in to his impulse to neaten the pens; he then did it again, focusing all of his willpower on staring down at the mess and  _ not _ straightening it out. “My condition is not something I am willing to die for.”

Boba knew very little about Embo’s past; the Kyuzo was not forth-coming, so Boba had to dig elsewhere… and by elsewhere, he meant Sugi. Turns out, the big guy had been through some tough shit… and this shit resulted in some… obsessive compulsions. When he was medicated, he could manage fairly well; but he wasn’t medicated, and it showed.

“And that’s going to help it?” Boba didn’t mean to sound as incredulous as he did; at this, Embo’s shoulders slumped.

“Probably not.” He sighed as he rearranged the pens, making sure they were as straight as possible. He growled, frustratedly, before slipping into the awfully angry persona Boba was growing used to; he smashed the table with his fists, before tossing it to the side. “What is wrong with me?”

Boba said nothing as he rolled over in his bunk; he drifted in and out of sleep all night long, falling asleep only to be jolted awake by nightmares. He tried to keep quiet as to not wake his roommate, but he could feel eyes on him every once in awhile. He could only guess what the nightmares were about - all he knew was that when they were awakened by the Imperials, he made sure to fill up on caf.

Boba watched as a handful of officers led the hunters away; the man who had hired him hung back, a commanding hand pressed to Boba’s back. He led the young hunter into a room, before sitting him down.

Boba expected to be forced into an interrogation room; however, judging by a quick sweep of the room, this room was an observation deck overlooking four rooms. Each hunter was directed into the room as Boba shook his head.

“I was under the impression that I, too, would have to go through an evaluation.” Boba whispered. The officer only laughed.

“Why’s that?”

“I’m… a bounty hunter as well.”

“That is true… however, you are human.” The Imp grinned largely as he neared the mirror which peered into Sugi’s room; she – apparently- wasn’t in a great mood and decided to tear an ear off of one of her handlers. They bound her hands to the table, and as an added measure, they put a muzzle on her –  _ a muzzle _ … as if she was some sort of animal. “Aliens like these are naturally unstable – we just need to make sure that they aren’t a danger to us.”

“That seems like a little… much.” Boba frowned, noting that her eyes were wide with fear; she tugged at the binders, as if trying to escape. “She’s afraid… can I speak to her?”

Without missing a beat, the Imperial shook his head. “Fear is not something that is tolerated here.”

“I get that… but you muzzled her like some sort of monster.”

“Ah, young Fett. I know you are attached to these aliens, but we need you to look at it from our perspective. We welcome her here for a cordial conversation, and she bites off the ear of one of my men. I cannot have that sort of behavior running rampant around here. Observe.” The man touched the mirror, and a few videos appeared; the one that concerned Boba the most was a video they seemed to have captured on Nal Hutta during her incident with the two rapists.

“She was provoked.”

“But she is still dangerous.” He hummed as the videos disappeared; Sugi was tugging violently, so hard that the binders were leaving gashes in her wrists. Boba pressed the audio relay button, and sighed when he noted that she was sobbing; this was going well.

_ “Please, answer these questions as truthfully as you can. Do you understand?” _

_ “Get it off of me!”  _ She yowled, her voice muffled by the muzzle; when they didn’t listen, she slammed her head against the table, repeatedly. Whether or not it was to frighten them or knock the muzzle off, Boba wasn’t sure; he just knew that one of her horns snapped off and it startled the Imps enough to take the muzzle off.

“See? She's a rabid animal.” He hummed smugly, before moving away; Boba stayed and watched her for a moment. He pressed a random button, hoping it would be the intercom; instead, the reflective surface disappeared, and Sugi perked.

" _ Boba?” _ She grinned at him, and he gave her a small wave; she bounced in her seat, babbling in Iridonian. This earned her a slap and him an angry tirade from the interrogator; he pressed the button once more, noting how her smile faded and was replaced with the same terror he had seen earlier.

The officer had moved on to the next window, watching Embo; he was in a similar position as Sugi, with his hands bound to the table. Somehow, they found out about his condition as there was a pen purposefully out of sorts in the middle of the table. The binders were straining against the table as he tried to break them; Boba wasn’t sure why they seemed to be tormenting them, but it felt wrong.

“This is cruel.” Boba frowned as he watched Embo’s fingers desperately stretching to correct the implement. “Why exactly are you doing this?”

“It’s merely routine.”

“So do this with everyone you employ?” Boba prodded, noting the slight twitch at the corner of the man’s mouth.

“We do.” He knew this was a lie; he could see it in this man’s eyes. He didn’t trust the bounty hunters - correction, he didn’t trust the  _ nonhuman _ bounty hunters. Boba’s frown deepened.

“That’s a lie… and we both know it.” Boba hissed. “You think they’re damaged! Well, surprise! Guess what? So am I!”

“I would appreciate if you watched your tone, Mr. Fett.” His gaze was steely, laced with utter disgust. Boba’s lip curled into a snarl as the man shook his head. “It’s evident that this procedure upsets you.”

“You think?” Boba rubbed his temples. “I think I would be less upset if you told me  _ why. _ ” 

“Unfortunately… I am not at liberty to say. All I can say is that they are doing perfectly.”

He then gestured to Cad’s window, and Boba watched as he was offered a pill; unlike Sugi and Embo, Cad looked as though he hadn’t put up much of a fight. He was free-range, and had his legs kicked up onto the table. Boba watched for a moment, before pressing the audio button.

" _ Just take the pill.” _

_ "What’s it gonna do? Tell me that, then maybe I’ll take it.” _ Cad looked rather unenthused, but the Imp was insistent.

_ “Just take the fucking pill.” _

A scream rang out, so loud that it reverberated through the supposedly sound-proof panels. It was so loud, that even Cad and his interrogator heard it and paused.

Boba darted back towards Sugi’s room, noting that they had stuck her neck with a needle; she seemed marginally unhappy as she tried to snap at the man holding the needle.

“What-?”

“Just watch and learn.”

The interrogator unlocked her binders before darting out of the room. The soldier administering the drug was locked inside, looking panicked as he tried to open the door. Sugi cocked her head to the side, watching the man dart around like a nuna with its head cut off. She climbed up onto the table, sitting there and watching him like a hungry tooka; her movements were slow, deliberate, graceful - just as the predator Zabraks were painted to be.

Then, she struck. She reached out, her nail digging into his neck as she held him with uncharacteristic strength; Zabraks -for near humans- were incredibly strong, he was just… unused to seeing her use it.

She brought him close to her, her tongue sneaking out to run along his cut jaw; he squirmed as she threw him onto the table, a grunt passing through his lips. Before the man could even blink, she was straddling him; Boba almost thought that she was going to fuck him until she started to bash his head against the table.

But that wasn’t enough. She bit down on his windpipe, and tore at the flesh; he let out a gurgle as blood spurted from his jugular, drenching her visage. She - horrifyingly -swallowed the torn flesh, before prowling over toward the two-way.

“THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE MUZZLES ME. YOU HEAR THAT,  MOTHERFUCKERS?” She screamed as she banged her fists on the glass. She looked like an absolute nightmare, literally dripping with blood; Boba knew her, and he was still terrified.

Boba stepped away for a moment, his mind racing; the officer followed him over toward Latts room, where she was currently kicking the shit out of another soldier. Boba turned to look at the officer, absolutely mortified.

“Why?”

“It makes them effective, doesn’t it? We want them to do their jobs… that’s all.”

The officer almost shoved Boba out the door, before locking it behind him; Boba blinked numbly, before sinking to the ground.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not my intention to paint mental illness as a bad or scary thing. If I've done this, let me know so I can make necessary fixes.


	8. Imperii Malum

**** Boba stared up at the ceiling in his allotted room, thinking about all that had transpired; the image of his mother-figure dripping with blood was forever seared in his mind. The poor woman didn’t ask for any of this… none of them did.

A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts, and he looked up; if it was Embo, he would’ve barged in and made himself at home. He sighed, before rolling off the bed to answer the door.  
  
Standing before him was a young grey suit; her blonde hair was tied up in a bun, and she looked as though she was trying to keep a neutral face. Still, there was a hint of a smile ghosting on her pretty face.

“What?”

“I have been instructed to give you this.” The young woman buzzed as she handed him a small, black case. He popped the top open, frowning when he realized that it was filled to the brim with packets of pills.

“Can I ask what these are?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I’m not supposed to question my superiors’ decisions. But...I have heard rumors that the Empire is trying to develop a drug that would enhance the stormtroopers. Maybe this is connected to that.” She blushed, almost as if she had said too much by accident. She opened her mouth, as if to say something else, but Boba shut the door before she could.

He sat on the edge of his bed and opened the case; he dug through the case, noting that the packs of pills were color-coded and labeled. Interestingly enough… there weren’t any for him.

He tore open a pack for Sugi before dumping the pills into his hand; they were an odd purple color, and crumbled at the slightest touch. Against his better judgment, he sniffed the powder; he must’ve accidentally snorted some of it, as his world shifted around him. 

He had experimented with drugs a bit, but this felt nothing like the highs he had before. He felt inexplicably warm, and his stomach flip-flopped uncomfortably; he struggled not to throw up as he started toward the front door. The moment he reached the door though, things changed; he felt anxious and paranoid, as if everything was trying to kill him.

He unsheathed his knife as the door slid open; everything and everyone started to close in on him. He swung the knife, trying to slash at his imaginary attackers… and hit someone; blood splattered on his face, and relief washed over him.

_ That’s good… _

Before he could react, he was grabbed under the arms and dragged away from the scene; he expected a harsh reprimand, a beating even, but instead he was shoved into the communal showers. He was given the strict orders to shower, before being left alone.

His high wore off quickly, and he was left with the revelation that he had just killed an Imperial officer; he hurriedly stripped out of his armor, before barging into the shower area. He kept his head down as he moved toward a shower head in the middle of the room.

“Looks like you’ve been in one hell of a fight.” Boba looked up, noting Cad using a shower head nearly opposite of him. The Duros was washing blood from his skin, betraying that he -like Sugi- had killed; Embo was nearby, in a similar state.

“Where are Sugi and Latts?”

“They thought it necessary to separate us.” Embo hummed as squirted some soap into his hands; he looked a lot more relaxed than he was before, but he still looked irritated. “Apparently, one of the side effects of the shit they gave us is  _ arousal…  _ so they didn’t want us ‘trying’ anything.”

“Latts is a lesbian…”

“And I’m gay.” Cad huffed as he shot Embo a glance. “Just goes to show how stupid the Imps are.”

Boba washed himself in silence, focused on washing the blood from his body; he watched as the red liquid pooled at his feet, and swirled down the drain. It was oddly hypnotizing, and he found himself nearly falling into a trance.

He didn’t even notice that they were moving to leave until Embo spoke.

“I’ll see you back at the room.”

Boba nodded at him, savoring the warmth of the water.

-

The night was surprisingly quiet; it seemed as though one of the side effects of the drug was fatigue, as Boba was dead to the world the entire night. He never slept very well since his father died, so this was a nice change. 

He awoke the next morning in a pool of drool, his arms sore from the position he was sleeping in; he yawned and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand, before stretching his back. He laid there for a moment, thinking about what was to come when he noticed snoring – which was odd seeing as though his roommate was unable to snore. Boba listened for a moment, just to make sure, before rolling over.

He was faced with a naked back, which was covered by a large, black tree tattoo; when he looked closer, he realized that the tattoo was covering up numerous scars. He fell out of bed in shock, waking the other two people in the room.

“Oh, shit. I overslept.” Sugi groaned as she buried her face into the stiff mattress they had been provided; she sounded groggy, as if she didn’t want to be awake. “The Imps are going to kill me.”

“If anything,” Embo yawned. “They’ll be convinced that I coerced you. You’ll be reprimanded, maybe, but they’ll end me.”

“I know how it looks, but I promise we were just sleeping. I had a nightmare.” Sugi turned to face Boba, who was anything but pleased about the situation; even the thought of his mother-figure being intimate made him cringe. “I’m not that rude.”

“Sure.” Boba turned away to let her change, rubbing his temples in a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. When she was done, she tapped his shoulder and turned away.   
He dressed in his armor, before strapping his weapons to his sides; a knock startled the three.

“Wake up! You have ten minutes to eat before your physical evaluation.” The stuffy voice called from outside the room. Boba huffed before booking it to the cafeteria; there was no way he was going to miss out on breakfast… even if it was shitty ration bars.

The moment he entered the cafeteria, he could point out where his team was; they were the only splashes of color on this godsforsaken star destroyer. Cad looked to be clinging to his caf as if it was the only thing keeping him alive, while Latts and Bossk amicably chatted about something. Boba grabbed a ration bar and a cup of caf, and joined the others.

“Morning, sunshine.” Latts beamed as she wrapped him in a hug; it was obvious that she was a morning person. Cad… not so much.

“Fuck you.” Cad grumbled as he slouched and rubbed his temples. “Fuck you and your enthusiasm.”

“Sorry, old man. Some of us would rather face the day with a smile on our faces.” Latts chuckled as she sat back down next to Bossk; Boba slid onto the bench beside Cad, nodding to the older bounty hunter.

“Where’s the happy couple?” Cad inquired as he sipped at his caf.

“Right behind you.” Embo chuckled as he gripped Cad’s shoulders, giving them a quick rub; Cad sighed contentedly as he melted under Embo’s touch. Sugi approached with two ration bars and a cup of caf, before handing one of the rations to the Kyuzo.

“Breakfast is served.” Sugi chuckled as she slid onto the bench beside Latts; the Theelin grinned and rested her head on Sugi’s shoulder. Sugi downed the caf in seconds, before gnawing on the ration bar.

There was a moment of contented silence as he basked in the company of his friends; this was broken when Boba checked his chrono, and realized that they were needed elsewhere.  
  
“Well, better not keep them waiting.”

-

Boba stood in the medbay, wearing one of those stupid gowns they provided patients; apparently, they cared nothing about his mental health but still believed that he needed a physical examination. He huffed as the medic attached a clamp to his finger; he watched as meaningless numbers flashed on the screen, and sighed when the medic removed the clamp.

“You seem healthy, Mr. Fett.” The female medic hummed; she removed the gloves she had been wearing, before jutting her head toward a pair of generic sweatpants. “Put those on and make your way toward the gymnasium.”

He frowned as he tossed off the gown and pulled on the provided pants; he was bothered a bit that she had watched the entire time, but said nothing about it. 

He spared a glance at his discarded armor, before passing through the door. He was met by Latts, who was frowning deeply.

“What’s up?” He seemed to have startled her from her thoughts.

“The Imps know nothing of Theelin biology.”

“Not surprising.” Boba frowned as a stormtrooper gestured to a door nearby; they entered, noting that Embo was jogging around a track with an officer watching him. His jog was nearly Boba’s sprint – Boba was jealous, to say the least. “I imagine they are having similar troubles with Embo and Cad.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised.” She huffed as they were directed toward the track and given orders to jog. “What is the point of all of this?”

“I don’t know. I guess they want to make sure that we can handle the job.” He huffed as Embo passed them, giving the both of them a nod.

“Cardio is not my thing.” Boba turned, noting Sugi jogging behind them. “I can twirl around poles and I can lift a man but running… is not my strong suit.”

Boba let out a small laugh, silently noting that Cad and Bossk had joined them; Bossk looked unhappy that he had been forced into this, but didn’t complain. The Imperial then commanded them to sprint, which went just about as well as imagined; Embo soared past them a few times, looking as though he was having the time of his life.

Then, they were stopped. Embo, because he was going so fast, overshot his mark and bumped into Sugi; they laughed, him gently gripping her arms to keep her from falling. He went to wrap his arms around her shoulders until the Imp snapped.

“Keep your hands to yourselves!!!”

Boba had never seen an expression change as quickly as Embo’s had; he removed his arms, looking absolutely murderous.

“Luckily for you, you all passed. You will be briefed in a few hours. Dismissed.” The Imperial growled, disgust gleaming in his eyes as he watched them leave. Boba turned to follow them, noting a hand on his shoulder. “Not you, Fett. We have to chat.”

Boba rolled his eyes and turned toward the Imperial; his expression had softened as he looked at the young human man.

“Did you receive those pills?”

“Yeah. What are they?” Boba crossed his arms over his chest.

“You are too curious for your own good.” The officer frowned; Boba cocked a brow, letting the Imp know he wasn’t backing down. “They’re mood stabilizers.”

“Bullshit. I accidentally snorted one and I killed a man. What are they really?” Boba frowned, wondering if the officer believed he was truly that stupid or if he was just feeding Boba pre-rehearsed lines.

“For all you’re concerned, they are just that. You’ve seen your friends – they are hardly the picture of sanity.” Boba cringed at this; the Imp either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “We are counting on you to distribute the drugs to your friends and monitor the results.”

“Why would I do that?” Boba growled as the officer began to pace.

“Because we asked you to. If not… there will be repercussions.” He hummed as he grasped his hands behind his back. “Sugi, is it?”

“What?”

“You are attached to her, yes? Let’s say that if you don’t comply… we’ll euthanize her youngling… and it will be all your fault. Do you understand, Mr. Fett.”

“I do.” Boba hissed as he balled his fists; he had half a mind to beat the shit out of this officer, but refrained from doing so.

“Lovely. You will be receiving water bottles to hand out – slip the drugs into their water and be careful not to mix them up. The drugs are carefully made to suit their biology, and the wrong drug could easily kill them.” The Imperial had the audacity to rest his hand on Boba’s shoulder; Boba shook him off with a grimace. “Rest, and enjoy these next few hours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE COMMENT THX


	9. The Deadliest of Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out Interludes for some other perspective 'behind-the-scenes' ficlets!

The water bottles were waiting for him when he returned; they were neatly laid out on a tray, color-coded to match the pills Boba had received earlier. He carefully gathered up the tray and stepped into his room; luckily, he was alone.

He grabbed the case from under his bunk, popping it open with his unoccupied hand; the packets stared up at him, as if taunting him with how terrible he was.  _You don't generally poison those you love._ He bit his lip as he grabbed the appropriate pills, slowly but surely pouring the contents into the bottles.

Not a moment later, the door slid open; Boba frantically kicked the case under his bed, praying that he hadn't been caught. He grinned up at Embo, trying not to look guilty.

“Fett.” Embo regarded him, stepping toward his bunk; he only paused when he noticed the tray filled with bottles. “What's the deal with that?”

“I guess the Empire is trying to win us over.” Boba shrugged as he grabbed the one designated to Embo and tossed it toward him. Embo caught it, a frown plastered to his mask-less face.

“With water?”

“Yeah. They’re out of touch.” Boba admitted as he gathered up the tray, internally cringing when he watched Embo take a swig. “I’ll be right back.”

He carried the tray toward the next room over; Cad answered the door, and received his and Bossk’s bottles with an incredulous expression on his face. Boba offered Cad a shrug, before moving on to the last room; he could hear laughter, and wondered what was so hilarious.

“Special delivery.” He chuckled as he knocked on the door; Latts answered it, noting the two water bottles with a frown.

“What the hell?”

“Courtesy of the Empire. The freshest water on tap.” He joked as he handed her the two bottles; Latts took a sip of hers, her face twisting up in disgust.

“That is rank. Finest tap water my ass.”

“It’s probably recycled water.” Sugi piped up as she snatched up her bottle from the Theelin; she took a sip, as if to judge for herself. She, too, scrunched up her nose. “You’re probably drinking your own piss.”

“That is disgusting. Thanks, Sugi.”

“Welcome, love.” She chuckled as Latts disappeared back into their room; Sugi stayed by the door, a warm smile passing over her visage. She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed his temple. “You’re a good boy. Jango would be proud.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Boba whispered once the door was shut.

 -             

Boba had sat outside his room for a while, watching as the gray coats passed by; he was seriously debating telling everyone, but the Imp’s threat rang in his mind. He wasn’t going to be the one that handed Ilya a death sentence…

Boba noted that Embo had been eerily quiet for about an hour now, which wasn't necessarily unusual in of itself but given the circumstances... it was a little alarming. Boba fought against himself for a moment, before deciding to check on the man. 

He slipped inside, noting that Embo was hunched on his bunk; he seemed to be whispering something that Boba couldn't understand. "Embo... are you alright?"

Before Boba could blink, the Kyuzo sprung into action; he wrapped his hand around Boba’s throat, a coldness present in his eyes that Boba had never seen. Boba flailed around, trying to find the door release button; his life flashed before his eyes as he slammed his fist down against the wall, miraculously hitting the button. They came tumbling out of the room, startling the gray coats around them.

“What are you doing?” Boba gasped as he tried to sit up; Embo was quicker though, wrapping his hands around Boba's throat once more. 

“You deserve to die.” Embo rasped, apparently unaware that he was mask-less and losing oxygen just as fast as Boba was. “You are a traitor.”

He launched forward, his pointed teeth a hairbreadth away from Boba’s jugular; he let out a roar as he was stunned by an Imperial blaster, forcing his hands to loosen. He slumped to the side, his breathing alarmingly shallow; Boba pointed to their room, managing to whisper 'mask' in between coughs. Someone seemed to have gotten the message and returned with the man's breathing mask.

“Fett… what was that?” A familiar voice called out; Boba rolled his eyes and rubbed his neck as he turned toward their Imperial handler. The man seemed mightily offended at the breach of peace.

“I did as you asked and he tried to kill me.” Boba jutted an accusatory finger at the Imp, watching as the frown deepened on his face. “What the fuck was that about?”

“Please, you’re causing a scene.” The officer tried to direct Boba toward a room, but Boba was having none of that.

“I will cause a scene if I fucking please. I was nearly killed by one of my own teammates because of your…. Sick experiment. Are you happy?”

“Not terribly. Keep your voice down or I will have that child executed.”

“That’s just an empty threat. You'll never find her.” Boba hissed, pissed at everyone aboard this ship; he was mad at Embo, mad at this asshole...but most of all, he was mad at himself for getting into this in the first place. Furious tears pricked at his eyes.

“On the contrary,” The Imp fished out a datapad from his pockets; he typed a few numbers into it, before revealing the screen to Boba. It was grainy footage of what looked like an interrogation room filled with three - no,  _four_ people. Boba could clearly make out the forms of Latts' mothers, as well as Jas; it took him a minute, but in Jas' arms was a little bundle...

Boba fell silent, glaring daggers at the old man; there were no words to describe how much he wanted to kill the fucker.

“It’s obvious that Subject Seven doesn’t trust you. They should only attack those they perceive as threats to their wellbeing.”

“Subject Seven? They’re only numbers now?”

“Why do you care, Fett?” The Imperial officer seemed flippant, and this pissed Boba off; he wanted to lash out, he really did… but he stayed calm for his friends’ sakes. “They’re just _aliens_.”

“They’re my family.”

“Jango Fett was your family.” He hummed, before turning to leave; he paused at the doorway. “Get him to trust you… or you may not live next time.”

- 

Boba didn’t dare go back to his room; once Embo had regained consciousness, he had been led back in there to 'rest'. Boba still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Embo trusted him so little; perhaps he could sense that Boba was betraying them... it wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen.

He was pacing by Latts’ and Sugi’s room when his chrono went off, alerting him that their douchebag handler was ready to brief them. He went past the rooms, knocking on the doors to let them know as well. He didn't wait for them - he couldn't face them... not yet.

He was directed toward a small room with a two-way mirror; he was greeted by his handler, who gestured to the only chair in the room. 

"Welcome, Fett."

"What am I doing in here?" Boba sat down slowly, suspicious of the man's intentions.

"After today's... scuffle, we decided that it may be beneficial to separate you. At least... until you can get him to trust you."

Slowly, one by one, the other hunters entered; Embo looked groggy, both from sleep and a lack of oxygen. He was directed to sit next to the head of the table; Sugi moved to sit beside him, but was redirected to the other side of the table. The rest were seated in random configuration, and all seemed as though they didn't want to be there.

"Excuse me." The officer chuckled as he left the room; he entered the other room, flanked by stormtroopers. Boba watched with a small frown.

“Welcome, all. Though we have met, I have yet to formally introduce myself. I am Officer Fautny – the man that is handling your gig.” He neatened a stack of folders, before looking around the room. The complacency on his face was replaced with a disgusted snarl, as if he had smelled something particularly bad. “I figure you all know why you are here – but if Mr. Fett has failed to disclose that, all you need to know is contained in these folders.”

He passed them around, before sitting down in his seat; a few of the hunters looked uneasy as they took the folders and opened them up. The room was filled with silence as they read – or, in some cases, pretended to read. Latts had to gently remind Sugi that no one could read as fast as she was pretending to – he had never seen her face as red as it was then.

“Do I need to read it aloud?” The Imperial rolled his eyes, annoyance dripping in every word.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Sugi snapped, clicking her fangs together; the disgust on Faunty’ face only deepened, but it was matched with something else as well... though it was hard for Boba to read from where he was. Sugi answered the look of disgust with a curse in her mother tongue and a rather rude gesture.

“You will speak Basic on this ship – and only Basic. If I hear as much as a peep of your heathen tongues then you will be punished. Do you understand, Miss Sora?” Fautny snapped.

“Fuck off.” She hissed, baring her fangs. “Is that better, Officer?”

He said nothing, the fury in his eyes burning hotter than a sun. A stormtrooper stepped forward, grabbing her by the hair and yanking a lot harder than Boba figured was necessary; her head snapped back, and she let out a yowl. “Watch your tongue, whore.”

“Let her go.” Latts snarled, and Boba noticed Embo tensing across the table; slowly the room dissolved into chaos. The stormtroopers were powering up their weapons while the hunters egging them on; Boba rocked in his seat, debating about storming the room when Fautny slammed his fist against the metal table.

“Silence! Or I’ll send you out the airlock… all of you!” The room grew eerily silent as everyone sat back in their chairs. Fautny breathed a sigh of relief as he smoothed his hair back. “We’ll start you off with a small target – Pogmuck the Hutt. He’s an outcast controlling a small crime ring on Nar Shaddaa… if you are successful, you will be rewarded greatly. Understood?”

Everyone grumbled and nodded as they rose; the stormtroopers led them out – all except Sugi. Fautny stopped her, his hand gripping her chin; there was a dangerous glint in her bronze eyes as he drew close to her face. His lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers.

“You better watch yourself. I would hate to see someone ruin that pretty face of yours.” He stroked her lips with his thumb.

“My apologies, sir.” There was venom in her voice, but this only made Fautny laugh.  
  
“You’re a spicy little vixen, aren’t you? Oh… the things I would do to you…”

Boba didn’t stay any longer – he didn’t want to face the wrath of Fautny.


	10. One Down...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so late! I've been so terribly busy... and I'm not sure if things are going to get any better any time soon. So... apologies!

Boba made his way toward Sugi’s room, passing his team on the way by; Embo’s eyes lit up, and if it wasn’t for Cad’s reassuring hand on his shoulder, he probably would’ve decked Boba. Boba was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to gain the man’s trust in the short time before the gig.

Boba peeked his head into Sugi’s room, noting that she had stayed behind to pack some things; she was moving slower than usual, as if being extra cautious. Her head lolled forward, before snapping upward - it was almost as if she couldn’t keep herself awake. Boba frowned; what had happened between her and Fautny?

He finally knocked on the doorjamb, startling her; she looked up, her eyes hazy but her mouth twisted into a large smile.

“Hey, Boba.” She stuffed the clothes she had been provided into a duffle bag, before meeting his gaze once more. “What’s up?”

“I noticed that Fautny pulled you aside - what was that about?” He leaned against the wall, noting how quickly the smile she wore morphed into a frown.

“Oh, it was nothing, really. He just wanted to make sure that I understood the consequences of failure.” She tried to act nonchalant, but the sneer gave her away. It was Boba’s turn to frown.

“And what were those consequences, exactly?”

She froze at this, before forcing a smile. “Oh, don’t worry about that. It won’t come to that.”

Sugi slipped by him, offering him a small nod - but he wasn’t going to give up that easily. He followed behind her, watching as she ever-so-subtly slumped. “He was acting awfully handsy back there.”

She turned toward him. The ice in her eyes sent shivers down his spine - he must’ve hit a nerve. “How much did you see?”

“Enough to know that his intentions are hardly pure.” Boba frowned. “What did he offer you? Freedom from this gig if you hop in the sack with him?”

He froze when she jabbed an accusing finger into his chest; this hurt more than he expected, although he was unsure if it was physical or emotional pain.

“Don’t tell anyone about this. The last thing we need is for Embo or Latts to try to murder the man to preserve my honor. This is my battle - I’ll handle it by myself. Do you understand me, Boba?”

Boba pursed his lips. “I don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to.” When it looked as though he was going to press her, she growled at him. And it wasn’t just a rumble – it was a legitimate Zabraki ‘fuck off’ growl.

Boba scoffed, watching as she prowled away; whatever happened in that room really set her on edge. He took a deep breath, before powering on his comm.

_ “Fett.” _ Embo was curt, although Boba couldn’t detect any hints of murderous rage… so that was nice.  _ “What can I do for you?” _

“I… have something I need to tell you.” The anticipation on the other end was thick, as if Embo was waiting for Boba to confirm that he really was a traitor. “Are you alone?”

_ “I am.”  _

“I think Fautny may have ulterior motives.” Boba began, his pace slowing as he approached the hangar.

_ “I believe that is a given. I would be surprised if running errands was the only thing he wanted us for.” _

“What I mean is… he’s taking an odd interest in Sugi. I saw some things… but she would kill me if I told you.” Boba bit his lip -  as much as he was afraid of a vengeful Sugi, he was more afraid of Embo and his ability to snap Boba over his knee.

_ “Do it.” _

“I saw him getting pretty handsy… I didn’t stay for long but I shudder to think of what happened after I left.” 

There was silence for a long time - the silence was so drawn out that Boba was afraid that Embo had hung up on him. He waited a moment, imagining that Embo was trying not to storm the ship looking for the bastard.

_ “Was it as bad as you say?” _ He finally managed to speak, his voice rich with anger.

“She was pretty shaken up afterwards. So, yeah, I assume so.” 

Another long silence; Boba waited at the door with baited breath, waiting for something to happen.  _ “Thank you, kid. You… did a good thing.” _

Boba finally exhaled when Embo ended the transmission; he was so tempted to fill the Kyuzo in on the entire scheme, but caught himself. The man was already tense enough… he didn’t need yet another thing to set the man off. 

He met Latts by  _ Slave One _ , noting her small smile. “What took you so long?”

“Oh… I forgot something in the room. I had to run back to get it.”

Without another word, they headed off.

-

The ride to Nar Shaddaa was long and, frankly, uneventful; he could tell that the drugs were having some sort of effect on Latts, as she would shift her position every once in a while as if she couldn’t settle. 

“You doing alright?” He inquired, his head cocked to the side and a small frown playing on his lips; she crossed her arms over her chest, digging her nails into her arms until they bled.

“I’m feeling kind of weird.” She hummed as she watched the blood bead on her arms. “I feel hazy, as if I just smoked a pipe of Habica. It’s… odd.”

“Should I call off the gig?” Boba bit the inside of his cheek, hoping she would say yes; much to his dismay, she shook her head.

“Don’t stop it on my account. I’ll be alright.”

Boba opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the annoying chiming of the communicator. He held his breath, before answering it.

_ “You little fucker! I told you not to tell him!”  _ Sugi roared; Boba could practically feel her glaring daggers at him.

_ “I’m glad he did! I don’t want you hurting yourself in the name of the team.” _ From the hoarseness of Embo’s voice, it seemed that they had been arguing for hours. He could hear Cad sigh in the background, and knew that it probably wasn’t good. 

_ “I can handle things myself!” _ Sugi’s voice cracked.

_ “Oh yeah? And who’s been keeping you afloat for the last seven years?”  _ The transmission cut out, probably ended by Sugi’s fist slamming down on the comm. button; he turned to face Latts, noting the frown tugging at her lips. His team was falling apart and they hadn’t even started the gig…

“That didn’t sound good.” Latts mused as she stared out at the stars, unconsciously smearing the blood against her arms.

“I have a feeling tensions may be running high for a while.” Boba sent her a sideways glance before shaking his head; this behavior was… odd, to say the least.

“I just hope they remember why we are doing this. I want to see my mothers again.” Latts sighed as she turned her gaze to the dashboard; she muttered something unintelligible in her mother tongue, her head lolling forward a bit. Boba didn’t bother her, instead thinking back on better times.

The ship’s jump from hyperspace startled him from his thoughts; Nar Shaddaa slowly appeared into their line of sight, and Boba felt his stomach flip-flop. Everything about this gig felt off, but he didn’t dwell on it too long; instead, he watched as Latts rose and meandered into the ship’s quarters.

He sighed as the ship touched down; he rose from his seat, heading back toward the quarters. Latts was lying on the bed, her gaze locked with the light on the ceiling. Bossk was cleaning his blaster, and only looked up when Boba tapped on the doorframe.

“We’re here.”

The two followed him outside, everyone peering up at the sky simultaneously as the Halo started to descend. Latts playfully elbowed Boba, her movements still sluggish.

“You know, she’s probably going to fucking deck you.”

“Yeah, I’m preparing myself.” Boba held his breath, waiting for the enraged Zabrak to spring on him. Surprisingly, when the doors slid open, she was laughing; it was the kind of laugh that made her double forward and gasp for breath. Behind her, Cad and Embo were in a similar state. 

Boba blamed the drugs.

“Pogmuck.” Sugi snorted as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “What the fuck kind of name is Pogmuck?”

She sobered almost immediately when she noticed the others. With all the venom-laced grace she could manage, she stalked over toward them; she hardly spared a glance at Boba, instead turning to face Latts.

“So what’s the plan, oh fearless leader?” Cad inquired, sobering nearly as quickly as Sugi had; Boba knew that it was hard for Cad to let someone much younger than him lead the group. The Duros was a natural leader… and he had more experience to boot; but the Imps would never trust him with such sensitive information.

“I say we storm the compound. What could go wrong?” He hoped their drugs would kick on during the fight; as much as he hated having them as lab rats, he knew from experience that the drug was effective.

Cad opened his mouth, as if to speak, before shutting it; he shrugged, before turning toward the antsy Kyuzo beside him. Embo looked as though he was itching for a fight.

Boba started into the maze of alleyways. He honestly didn’t care if they followed after him or formulated their own plan - he just wanted to get them in gear. 

Boba noted the sound of shuffling feet behind him, and figured that his team had decided to follow him. A small grin crept up on his face as they delved deeper into the junkie-filled streets.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” Boba let out a small scream when Embo appeared beside him; though the man weighed three hundred pounds -easily- he walked around like he weighed absolutely nothing. It was honestly a bit eerie.

Embo offered him an amused glance; luckily, Embo didn’t seem to want to kill him… which was nice.

“No problem. Was she really as pissed as she sounded?”

“Even madder.” Embo chuckled as he patted the knife at his side; Boba tensed. “But she’s calmed down a lot.” 

“That’s good.” Boba hummed as he squinted at the end of the labyrinth; there stood a few Gamorrean guards, looking bored as all hell. He watched as they taunted the junkies at the door, before jutting his pointer at them. “Take them out.”

Embo’s eyes glazed over and he charged at the guards; he was going so fast it looked as though he was floating. He was moving so quickly that the guards didn’t even see him coming; he managed to slit one of their throats before the other finally understood. It was too late, however; before the Gamorrean could even raise his arm, Embo plugged a bolt into his forehead.

“You know,” Latts chuckled as they watched Embo pace in front of the door.  _ He’s waiting for orders.. _ . “If we all wait here, he might be able to do it himself.”

Boba cocked a brow, shook his head, and jutted his blaster toward the door; Latts raised her hands in defense.

“Alright, alright. It was just a suggestion.” With that, the others charged through the doors; Boba brought up the rear, watching as his family tore through patrons like they were nothing. Latts gleefully lopped off heads with her boa blades, kicking the heads as they fell. Sugi tore into flesh with her teeth and knives, painting the floor with the blood of dozens of different species. Bossk smashed heads like overripe fruit; Cad blasted off limbs. It was dizzyingly intense.

Boba weaved through the mayhem, trying to find Embo in the fray; he followed a path of bodies into a back room, where he noted Embo breaking people’s spines like they were twigs. Boba scooted by him to peek into the room at the end of the hall - it was the throne room… perfect.

He burst through the door, startling the exceedingly fat Hutt; Pogmuck’s two personal guards fired blasters off at them, intent on killing them. Boba ducked to avoid them, but noted with a gasp that Embo did not; two impacted with the Kyuzo, -one in the chest and one in the shoulder- and Boba expected him to go down… but he didn’t.

This startled the guards enough for them to drop their blasters, allowing Boba to take them down with a bolt to the head each. The Hutt blubbered out something in Huttese, watching as the bounty hunters slowly appeared from behind Embo.

“The Mighty Pogmuck begs for mercy.” The protocol droid beside the Hutt droned.

“No can do, pal.” Boba hummed, before turning away. “Take care of him, will ya?”

He left the room, the screams of the Hutt ringing in his ears.


	11. New Ally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay! Things have been... crazy, to say the least.
> 
> Enjoy!

**** “You did magnificently!!” Officer Fautny chuckled as he beamed over at the team; he approached them immediately after the ship landed, not affording them time to take a shower or bandage up. They all looked mightily uncomfortable - save for Embo, who’s pain was evident on his face - and were hoping this would be brief. “That went much, much better than I expected. Rest up - we’ll debrief tomorrow.”

Boba sighed in relief, waiting for Fautny to leave before turning toward his team. “You guys clean up; I’ll walk Embo to the medbay.” 

Embo wrapped his arm around Boba’s shoulder, leaning some of his weight on him; they started off toward the medbay, pausing when Embo started to laugh.

“You okay?” Boba figured Embo was going into shock, and he picked up his pace; Embo rambled on about something in slurred Kyuzoni, and Boba just shook his head.

They made it to the medbay without issue, and they immediately set out to patch him up. Boba spared a glance to Embo, before whisking away; there was no need for him to stick around, seeing as though he’d just be in the way. So he made his way back to the room so he could relax.

It was only when he got there and noticed Embo’s bottle on his bed that he was reminded of Fautny’s terrible task; he stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out how to sneak them their next dose without raising suspicion. He reached for Embo’s bottle and sighed; well… they should be in the showers for a while... 

He shook his head before meandering out of the room; he slipped into Cad and Bossk’s room, and snatched up their bottles. He tucked them under his arm before moving on; he nearly bumped straight into Cad, and he fought hard to suppress his scream.

“Whatcha doing, kid?” Cad cocked a browridge as Boba fumbled for an answer.

“I… was just going to take care of these for you.” Boba offered an uneasy grin; Cad pursed his lips and shrugged after brushing aside his suspicion.

“Wanna see if you can find any alcohol on this ship?” Cad chuckled.

“Oh, yeah! Me too!” Sugi called from down the hall; he nodded, just barely catching both her’s and Latts’ bottles when she tossed them.

He memorized their drink orders before watching them all disappear into their rooms; he looked around, before flagging down a grey suit. “Do you have a bar here?”

The older woman pointed him in the right direction, and thus Boba was off; he delved deep into the belly of the ship, twisting and turning through a labyrinth of hallways. He spent what felt like an hour wandering about until he found it. 

Coincidentally, Fautny was there, swishing his Vodka around in his glass as he stared absentmindedly up at a holoscreen. He didn’t even notice Boba until he slid up beside him and ordered the drinks (Boba decided to get Embo tea, fearing that the alcohol would mess with his painkillers.)

“Ah, Fett… you’ve done the Empire a great service today.” His voice was slurred as though he had been drinking for hours; Boba cringed slightly as he was hit with the rancid stench of the man’s breath. “How’d everything go?”

“Ah… well. I guess.” He shrugged, noting that Fautny had ordered a drink for him. Boba shot him a fake grin as the bartender slid him a glass; it was filled with an amber liquid resembling whiskey, though it smelled much sweeter.

“How are the drugs working?”

“Surprisingly well.” He fought the urge to just ignore the question. “I still don’t like the idea of them being lab rats, though.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less.” He gestured to Boba’s drink, and Boba reluctantly knocked it back; his face contorted as his tongue tingled. Whatever it was tasted more like paint thinner than an enjoyable drink. It only made sense that Fautny had terrible tastes... “The  _ Oblivion _ is moving positions tonight; the longer we stay here, the more likely it is that someone will stumble across our position.” 

He sucked back his drink, his eyes sliding shut for a few minutes; Boba watched him for a while, confused, before poking Fautny in the side. His eyes snapped open, and Boba leaned away. “You and your team get tomorrow off… have a load of fun…”

He then shoved a case toward Boba; Boba cautiously took it, peeking inside curiously. It was filled to the brim with credits.

“You and your team may use them for whatever you want.” Fautny turned his back to Boba, signaling that the conversation was over. Boba gathered up the bottles and the case, before leaving the bar.

-

Embo was nowhere to be found when Boba arrived back at their room; he wasn’t worried, though, as he figured that he was still at the medbay. He sat down, carefully drugging the booze (and tea) before handing it out to his compatriots; they seemed to be taking things in stride, and this pleased Boba. They all were especially excited about the day off.

Boba spent a good few hours on his datapad, listening to Cad croon from the room beside him; the man was good and drunk as he was stumbling over the lines of the song. At one point, Bossk tossed something at him, and the two got into a shouting match. Boba just grinned and shook his head.

It was nearly 000 when Embo finally arrived back; without a word, he climbed into bed and fell asleep, leaving Boba alone with his thoughts. Boba tried to follow Embo’s example but found that sleep evaded him. He laid in bed for hours, before deciding that this time could be better spent doing something else; he snuck out of the room, before wandering aimlessly down the endless hallways.

Before he knew it, he was standing at the detention block’s door; the large, metal door had a small window in it, allowing Boba a fairly good look inside. Most of the cells were illuminated, which was odd… as far as he knew, they only had Jas, Ilya, and Latts’ mothers. What else was the Empire up to…?

He tried opening the door, but found that it was locked; he expected nothing less. He peeked in again, trying to find anything damning, before catching the glance of the storm trooper inside. Boba cursed, before darting away.

He rested in a hallway nearby, trying to catch his breath; whatever it was they were hiding in there must’ve been important. He ran his hands through his hair; Fautny was going to be pissed...

Then he thought of an idea - a stupid, devious idea, but an idea nonetheless. He started down the hallways yet again, looking for an information terminal. His stupid curiosity would get the best of him at some point… but he couldn’t help it.

He found one after about ten minutes of wandering, and slipped inside. He sat down at one of the three terminals, before cracking his knuckles.  _ Where to begin... _

He pulled up a list of files, frowning when he was unable to access most of them; what he had clearance for was mostly redacted, offering him glimpses of various operations they were running without revealing the bigger picture. It was irritating, to say the least; he needed to nab a code from one of the gray suits...

He jumped when the door slid open, a gasp escaping his lips; a young officer stepped into the room, sparing him a glance before going about their business. Oddly enough, this gray coat didn’t think it was weird to see him in there.

Trying his luck, he turned toward them. “What’s your clearance?”

The officer raised a brow, but didn’t question it. “Level three. Why?”

“I want to know if you can access a file for me. I’m working a gig for Officer Fautny and I have a feeling he isn’t telling the whole truth.” Boba tried his luck; the officer was young - maybe they’d be against the old pig.

“Fautny is kind of an asshole that way. I’ll see what I can do.” They rose, offering Boba a winning grin as they typed a code into the terminal. “Do you know the codename for your project?”

“Unfortunately… no.” Boba kicked up his feet, watching as this Officer did his work for him. “You don’t seem to have a high opinion of Fautny.”

“No one really does. He’s a creep who thinks he’s better than everyone else.” They shrugged as they drew up a list of files involving Fautny. They took a step back, watching to see what Boba would do. “And you don’t seem to have a high opinion of me.”

“Pardon?” Boba frowned.

“I can hear it in your voice. You don’t think highly of the Empire, thus you don’t like me.” They shrugged. “I understand. But I am not your foe.”

“Is that so?” Boba turned toward the screen, sifting through the files; the officer had been able to unlock many files, but they were still redacted to a point. Boba frowned. “Can you clear any of these up?”

“Nope. You need at least level five clearance.” They shrugged as Boba frowned. “Your best bet would be to get clearance codes from Fautny himself.”

“Yeah…. Well that’s not happening.” Boba stood, before shaking his head. “Thanks for your help anyways.”

“No problem. I’ll keep my ears open for anything that may be useful.” They stuck out their hand for Boba to shake. “My name is Tamyn, by the way.”

“Boba.” Boba shook, noting the light blush on their tan face.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Fett. I’ll see you around.”

Boba offered them a nod, before slipping out of the room.


	12. Dissention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with the late chapters lol. Have this - hopefully you enjoy it.
> 
> Warning: Some violence in here. Just letting y'all know.

“Wakey, wakey kid.” Cad’s gravelly voice grated in his ear. Boba growled as he buried his head under his pillow and flipped Cad off. Cad laughed, before whispering something to someone nearby. He then poked Boba. “It’s breakfast time, asshole. Get up!”

“I’ll be up in a little bit. Go on without me.” Boba waved him off, sighing annoyedly; he heard multiple voices whispering, and one by one they left. Boba dozed on his bed for a few more minutes, before finally sitting up.

He swung his legs over the edge and stood on wobbly legs, stretching with the hopes alleviating the small ache he felt in his back. He started forward as the ship lurched beneath his feet; he let out a small grunt as he fell onto Embo’s bed.  _ What the hell…? _

Alarms blared and the heavy footsteps of storm-troopers sounded outside his door; Boba rubbed his head and stood once more, frowning as opened the door. Troops poured from the cafeteria toward their stations, paying Boba no mind.

“ _ Everyone remain calm. We’re just… experiencing technical difficulties. _ ” A voice bellowed over the intercom; Boba knew this as code for ‘we’re under attack’. So much for evading rebelling forces...

Before Boba knew it, the ship lurched again – presumably into hyperspace and away from whatever was attacking them. Boba exhaled as he slipped back inside, before sitting down on the ground; he reached for the case, before pulling it onto his lap.

He hated seeing it, but he knew he needed to check for tampering. He sorted through the little packets, before shaking his head. He didn’t even notice the door sliding open.

“That must be the drugs!” Boba screamed, shoving the packets back in the case before kicking it under the bed; he turned to spy Tamyn with two cups of caf in their hands. They were grinning largely.

“The what?” Boba’s face drained of color; he had been caught. There was no way he could talk his way out of this one...

“Don’t worry! Fautny read me into the project.” Tamyn chuckled as they offered Boba one of the cups. “He’s really impressed with you. He wants you to join the Empire.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Boba accepted the caf with a thanks; he took a sip, reveling in the warmth of the drink.

“I figured as much.” Tamyn sat on the edge of Embo’s bed; they drank down the caf, before tossing the cup away. “I got a little more on this project of yours.”

“Really?” Boba leaned forward, gripping his caf tightly in his hands. “What’d you learn?”

“The Empire doesn’t think this test was going to last long. They didn’t even think you all would advance beyond killing Pogmuck.”

“They’re setting us up for failure?” Boba scoffed. “I’m not surprised.”

“Neither am I… the things that have been happening on this ship… it’s horrifying.” Tamyn hummed as they leaned in closer. “I don’t know much, but this is what I know. The ship is basically one big laboratory - they’re creating drugs and weapons here… they’re testing chemical warfare… all sorts of nasty stuff that you don’t want to know too much about.”

“I mean… it makes sense. The ships just floating in space.” Boba hummed, intrigued; Tamyn looked as though they knew more than they were letting on, but Boba didn’t press the issue.

“As for your gig, I can tell you this is one of their experiments - and I can tell you that one of your crew wasn’t supposed to be here originally.” 

“What? Who?” Boba sipped at his now cold caf, his stomach flip-flopping; he didn’t like the sounds of that.

“Fautny didn’t say. All he said was that the scientist had only prepared for four test subjects.” Tamyn tapped their fingers against their legs. “But… you might want to know that I saw Fautny conversing rather… closely with one of your teammates.”

“Sugi?”

“No… the Kyuzo, actually. Although it didn’t seem like the conversation was very cordial.”

Boba groaned, and as if on cue, his comm. beeped; he picked it up, expecting Fautny on the other end. He was surprised - and honestly alarmed - when Sugi began to speak.

“ _ Boba…We might have a  _ **_small_ ** _ issue.” _

“Great…”

-

Boba blinked as he looked into the holding cell, watching as Embo prowled around; he was raving mad, spouting off jumbled sentences in a dialect of his mother tongue that Boba couldn’t understand. Sugi stood a ways off, watching with mild concern as Fautny took to Boba’s side; the man had a coldpack pressed to his head and fury burned in his usually cold eyes.

“So… what happened exactly?” Boba had a faint idea, but he didn’t want to jump the gun. He watched as Fautny gritted his teeth.

“I was attacked! What do you think happened?” Venom dripped from every word; Boba turned toward Sugi, who was eerily silent. Usually, she would jump at the invitation to defend her partner… but she didn’t. Faunty must’ve really been able to get under her skin...

“Did you provoke him?”

“Of course not!” Fautny was lying, Boba could just sense it; he had been around enough liars that he could pick up even the subtlest of signs. He could read this man like a book. “He was raving mad – a lunatic! I tried reasoning with him, but he was just so violent. I think he’s gone savage!”

“I don’t think that’s something that can happen.” Boba cocked a brow, causing Fautny’s frown to deepen. He just sighed. 

“There’s no way he’s of any use to us anymore… He’d be infinitely more useful in the mines.”

“No!” Sugi darted toward him, taking hold of Fautny’s shoulder; his head snapped toward her, his hands balling into fists as if he wanted to strike her. Boba knew Fautny only restrained himself because he was there. “Please… give him one more chance. I- I can talk to him.”

“I doubt that would work… but I’ll humor you.” Fautny pressed a hand to the small of her back, before shoving her forward; she stumbled, shooting a glare at the man as the storm troopers guarding the cell opened it for her. She stepped inside.

Boba watched the two hunters interact for a moment, noting that he calmed down the instance he noticed her there. Fautny watched, his mouth twisted up in a vicious sneer; Boba drew closer, trying to get a read on Fautny’s expression. However, Fautny caught him and gestured toward the door.

“I’ve got this, Mr. Fett… why don’t you go meet up with the rest of your team?”

“I’m fine right here.” Boba huffed, until Fautny whistled – a pair of stormtroopers grabbed Boba under the arms and led him out. Boba snarled, turning make his way back inside only to find the door locked. He banged his fists against the door, before giving up and heading back toward his quarters.

He was met halfway by a distraught Latts and a mildly worried Cad; the two noted his expression and were silent for a while.

“What’s going on?” Cad broke the ice, trying to hide the concern in his voice. Boba started past them, and they followed closely behind.

“Embo apparently attacked Fautny and… if he’s not careful, he’s going to be sent to the mines.”

Cad paled at this and stopped entirely; Latts covered her mouth with her hand, tears bubbling in her eyes.

“So that’s what happens when we step out of line.” Latts muttered as she stared down at the floor in horror. “Oh my goddess…”

“So we kill the guy.” Cad growled, baring his fangs; his body tensed, as if preparing to spring at anyone that came across his path.

“If you don’t remember, the ship is filled with our enemies! If we kill the fucker, then we’ll die too!” Latts hissed, and the three stiffened as two officers passed by them; Boba nodded to the gray suits, before turning toward the other two hunters.

“Look, if you want to try something, let’s talk  _ somewhere else _ .”

“What are we trying?”

Boba jumped, turning toward Bossk; the Trandoshan didn’t look confused at all, and Boba half-wondered if Bossk knew about what was going on.

“Nothing, really. We’re just voicing our… frustration.” Cad hummed, eloquently saving their hides. Boba breathed a sigh of relief. “I think that Fautny is out to get us.”

“Is this about Embo?” Bossk frowned, a hiss escaping his maw. “That’s what happens when you randomly  _ attack _ your superior. Honestly, I don’t blame Fautny – we can’t have loose cannons screwing everything up.”

Without warning, Cad sprung at the Trandoshan, connecting with enough force to knock Bossk on his ass. Bossk’s eyes dulled and clouded, and he retaliated; he swiped at Cad with his claws, nicking Cad’s cheek deep enough to draw blood. Cad wrapped his hands around Bossk’s throat, and started to squeeze.

“Woah, woah!” Boba jumped in, grabbing Cad under his arms; he pulled Cad away, watching as Bossk jumped up and got ready to charge. Latts stepped between them, gently trying to direct Bossk in the other direction.

“Say that again, motherfucker!” Cad goaded as he tried to wrench himself from Boba’s arms. Bossk prowled around, trying to figure out a way to get past Latts without hurting her. “Huh? Huh? Nothing? What a pussy!”

“Cad shut up!” 

“Make me!” Cad snarled, biting into Boba’s arm; Boba let out a loud yell. Latts, at the same time, was berating Bossk.

“ENOUGH!” A voice rang out, and everyone stopped in their tracks; they turned to the fed-up voice, noting a worn-out Sugi. She had an obviously tranquilised Embo draped over her, and he seemed to be weighing her down almost painfully. “Control your fucking team, will you?”

“I’m trying!” Boba yelled as he frantically gestured to the mess around him. “But it would help if these, these  _ douchebags _ could get along for one fucking minute.”

“Douchebags?” A chorus of voices rang out behind him, but he couldn’t care less about who was complaining.

“Figure it out!” Sugi’s voice cracked as readjusted the Kyuzo’s weight; she slowly made her way past them, stiffening when Latts approached her. Latts took some of Embo’s weight, and smiled kindly to her former flame. 

Boba watched them leave, sighing sadly; slowly, everyone left…. And he was alone in his thoughts.


	13. Deception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm back! Sorry about the long hiatus - things have just been really crazy. I moved! I take care of a baby for most of my week! Sometimes a three-year-old too. I will try to be better about posting but.... we'll see XD
> 
> Well, this chapter just has a bit of self-harming... it's a bit graphic so if that triggers you, please don't read!
> 
> Please enjoy!

Boba was tired. Boba was so,  _ so _ damn tired; things had been happening so fast that he barely had time to process it - and in the one moment of silence he had, everything came crashing down. He was drugging his friends. He was putting them in danger. He was risking their lives, and for what? He felt immeasurable guilt, soul-sucking anguish… and it was exhausting.

He spent most of the day trying not to think about how fucking tired he was; he made sure to check on his team multiple times, and busied himself with whatever other nonsense he was offered. And while he had hoped to spend the day absolutely  _ avoiding  _ Fautny, it was not meant to be so.

So there he sat, across from Fautny, watching as the man discussed something irrelevant with another officer; he had been called there, probably to discuss their next gig… Boba would’ve prefered anything to this. If he was absolutely honest with himself… he wanted a nap.

He rested his chin on his fist, yawning; Fautny just couldn’t shut up. He droned on and on, and Boba’s eyelids slowly slid shut; he would catch himself, though, just in case Fautny had finished. But the man continued - and Boba found it harder and harder to fight against sleep.

“I’ve heard some troubling reports.”

Fautny’s voice startled him awake, causing his fist to slip and his head to smack against the table. Boba groaned, rubbed his reddened forehead. “Sorry… What was that?”

“Your team is getting into trouble.” Fautny drawled, making sure to talk extra slowly; Boba fought the urge to flip the officer off. “I’m starting to think that you aren’t a suitable leader.”

“Right…. As if none of this is your fault.” Boba huffed, earning him a fiery glare from the older man. “Look, I’m pretty sure this is side-effects from the drugs. It might be beneficial to stop-.”

“No!” Fautny snapped; Boba narrowed his eyes and locked gazes with the man. “You will continue using the drugs until I tell you not to. Are we clear?!”

“Why? It’s doing more harm than good!!” Boba growled, waving his hands emphatically. “You know what? I’m not doing it anymore.”

He got up and started toward the door; Fautny stopped him with the eerie sound of his metal chair scraping across the floor.

“Well, if that’s the case… the Empire has no use for your compatriots. I’ll put out an order to send them to the mines.”

Boba knew this man was not bluffing - he held no regard for the team and would take any chance he could to terminate it. Boba clenched his fists and his jaw, trying to fight the urge to sock the man; he hated being in this position. He wanted nothing more than to escape this nightmare.... But that wasn’t realistic and he knew it. He sighed. 

“Fine. I’ll continue as planned.”  _ But don’t think for a minute that I won’t take any chance I can to sabotage you. _

“Good. You’re doing the right thing.” He led Boba back to the table, before sitting him down once more. “Do you wish to know about your next assignment? It will be… most riveting.”

“Please, go on.” Boba’s voice was dry, devoid of enthusiasm; he hated Fautny more than anything in the galaxy -except Windu, that is- and he wanted nothing more than to tear him apart with his bare hands.

“Nuutnut the Hutt.”

“Nuutnut?” Boba frowned, shaking his head; out of all the fucking ridiculous things Fautny could have come up with, he came up with this? Who did he think they were? Idiots?

“Yes… another outcast.”  _ Figures. _ Fautny apparently didn’t see the humor in all of this. “He’s been on the run since his cousin Pogmuck was killed. However, we have been able to narrow down his location to these coordinates.”

Fautny slid him a piece of flimsi with the coordinates, which Boba recognized as somewhere on Naboo. He frowned, before nodding. “Alright. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Actually, there is a bit of a time restraint. You need to make it there before 1700 tomorrow, or you may miss your window of opportunity.”

Boba found all of this extremely suspicious; he offered Fautny a very fake smile, before rising and leaving. Instead of moving back toward his room, he made his way to the information terminals; there was no way that there was a Hutt called Nuutnut… not even the Hutts were that stupid. 

Boba was so focused on his mission that he nearly bumped into Tamyn; they smiled a bit, before noting Boba’s angered expression.

“Uh-oh. What happened?”

“Fautny opened up his gaping hole of idiocy.” Boba hissed as he entered one of the many small rooms. Tamyn followed behind. 

“Is this about Nuutnut?”

“What else could it be about?” Boba rolled his eyes as he went to typing out a string of words;  _ Nuutnut, Hutt, Naboo. _ As he figured, nothing came up - not even a file; Boba groaned in frustration. “I knew he was just pulling things out of his ass. Is there anything important happening on Naboo tomorrow?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Tamyn frowned as they looked down at Boba. “Nothing much happens on Naboo these days.”

“I wonder what the fuck he’s doing with us, then.” Boba sighed as he got up and exited the room; he gestured for Tamyn to follow him. “Not like I can fight going, though.”

They walked in silence for a while; Tamyn let Boba stew in his thoughts, not wanting to be the receiving end of his frustration. Still, they curiously followed Boba, only stopping when Boba stood at his door.

“You can come in, if you want.” 

“I was ordered not to -uh- see your friend.” Tamyn frowned as they looked at the door; Fautny must’ve demanded that everyone steer clear of Embo. 

“It’s up to you; I say fuck Fautny.” Boba shrugged as he stepped inside; Tamyn weighed their options for a second, before following Boba. The room was nearly dark, only lit by the candles that Embo had lit for meditation. In the shadows Boba could just barely make out the form of a storm trooper - Embo’s guard. He was sitting on the bunk, bucket off, looking absolutely bored.

“I don’t understand why he insists on having a guard follow me around.” Embo muttered, startling both Boba and Tamyn. Boba sat down on the edge of his bunk, trying to gauge whatever Embo was feeling; it was easier said than done in the dim lighting.

“You attacked Fautny… from what I heard, you were aiming to kill him.”

“I have no memory of this incident.” He growled; the silver blade of a knife glinted in the candlelight, and Boba tensed. He prepared to get stabbed, but sighed in relief when the knife never touched him.

“Okay, that’s enough quiet time.” The storm trooper huffed, his voice betraying his annoyance; he flicked the lights on, and Boba was horrified at what he saw.

“What the hell?” He knelt down beside Embo, his eyes scanning over the large, ragged cuts on the man’s arms; the blade which Boba had seen was covered in his blue-ish blood. This was self-inflicted…

Boba went to tend to the wounds, only to receive a hiss in response.

“Don’t touch me.” Embo growled as he returned to his rigid posture. “I feel no pain, thus they aren’t a problem.”

“You should get to the medic.” Boba whispered, trying not to aggravate Embo. It didn’t work.

“I can do whatever the fuck I please.” He grabbed at his knife, and swung it into his other arm; the blade carved deep into his flesh, more than likely hitting bone. Bright blue blood spilled down his skin and soaked into his kama. He didn’t even flinch once.

“Stop.” Boba pleaded, mortified, watching as he did it again, and again. “STOP!”

“Just leave me alone.” He snarled as he wrenched the knife from his flesh and tossed it aside; Boba scrambled away, his heart beating fast. “I don’t fucking need your sympathy.”

Boba bit his tongue as he stood and made his way toward Embo’s bed; he snatched up the bottle, aiming to get some water for his friend anyways. He and Tamyn made their way outside, where they both sighed.

“That was… disturbing.”

“It’s the drug. I just know it.” Boba clenched his jaw and balled his fists; he stiffened when Tamyn gently gripped his shoulder.

“Why don’t you just… ya know… stop giving it to them?”

“Well, for starters, if Fautny ever found out… he would send them to the mines. Plus, it’s so experimental that I’m not sure if they’re dependent – and if they are, how much harm would I cause by refusing to give it to them…”

“You really are in a bit of a tight spot.” Tamyn frowned as they rubbed Boba’s shoulder; Boba felt his face heat up, and he desperately tried to hide the blush tinting his cheeks. It had been so long since someone other than his team had touched him – and if he was honest… Tamyn was kind of cute. “Good luck.”

“Wha-?” Boba shook his head, the blush deepening. “With what?”

“Your gig. I hope you get to the bottom of… whatever Fautny is scheming.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Tamyn saluted, before walking away; Boba watched them leave, a small sigh escaping his lips.


	14. Unraveling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dudes! Long time no see! I've been super busy as of late, but I still feel bad for semi-neglecting this story. So here you go! A brand new chapter! (Apparently the last chapter I posted was a repeat lol. I didn't know until a few days ago! Oops!) I hope everyone is doing well!
> 
> I plan to try (emphasis on try) to finish this story. After that, I have a few that I may try to post next. We'll seeeeee.
> 
> Warnings: Violence, death, and mentions of sexual activity and rape (two separate incidents). If any of that bothers you, please do not read!

The ride to Naboo was quiet – Boba tried to initiate conversation with his crew, but no one was taking the bait; his crew looked beyond exhausted, and Boba cursed the very existence of the drugs coursing through their veins. He had felt nothing but regret and pain since taking this gig; he often went to bed hoping it was an awful dream... but he awoke the next day to realize that it was not so...

He set his ship's course, before turning in his seat to observe his team; Cad, who sat closest to him, was humming a drinking song lowly as he took apart his blaster. His fingers shook, fumbling with the tiny screws; he gritted his teeth at this, and looked to be fighting the urge to just toss the mess of parts onto the floor of the ship. 

Latts sat across from the Duros, her knees drawn close to her chest; she was mouthing something, though Boba couldn't seem to make it out. She seemed to be doing the worst out of all of them, for some reason; her memory lapses where proving difficult to deal with, but Boba tried to keep his cool. It wasn't her fault, after all.

Embo and Sugi were huddled together against the opposite wall, their attention focused on each other; she had forced him to visit the medics, as was evident by the layers of bandages wrapped around his arms. Any time he moved to fiddle with the bandages, she would slap his hand away; this earned her a growl, which she returned with one of her own. Despite their annoyance with each other, neither moved to untangle from the other.

Bossk, who was across from the couple, seemed – for all intents and purposes- fine; he looked at the others with a bit of disdain and concern, before looking down at the file he was using to sharpen his claws. Boba couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different about Bossk…  _ Why wasn’t he freaking out like the others? _

“I think we should run away after this assignment.” Latts offered the group, finally breaking the silence and tension; everyone's attention snapped to her, and she recoiled as if nervous to be at the center of attention. This was definitely odd, as she was naturally a bit of a diva.

“Latts… your mothers…” Boba frowned as she kicked her hooves against the metal floor.

“I don’t care anymore. I can’t do it! This stress is driving me crazy!"  _ Yeah, we can call it stress... _ Boba bit his tongue as he watched her play with her ponytail.

“Don’t know how much longer I can carry on, either…” Cad’s voice held no emotion as he snapped the final piece of his blaster into place; he set it in the holster and grabbed a cig from his pocket. “Sorry kid… I’m getting too old for this.”

"It's okay... you can do as you wish." Boba tried to manage a smile, but found it harder than it should have been.

"So that's two votes..." Latts turned toward the other three; it was at this point that Embo and Sugi stood, nearly pushing the other away from them. "What about you three?"

“I am so inspired by your courage… but I can’t leave.” Sugi whispered as she looked over at Embo; the Kyuzo didn't return her gaze. “They have my daughter and my niece…”

Boba cocked his head to the side; Fautny must’ve told her in hopes of earning her compliance.  _ By the looks of it, it was working...  _

Embo didn’t speak at all, his fingers sliding up and down the bandages; Boba had a feeling that he would maul himself to death if given the time alone… Sugi seemed offended by his silence and turned away.

"Oh? So you would leave me? Well thanks!" 

"I didn't say that." He growled, balling his fists tightly; Boba stood, hoping to get between them before a fight broke out.

"You're right - you didn't. You never say anything!" 

“Okay, okay... calm down. We can talk about it later.” Boba butted in, physically standing between the two; he could hear Sugi bitching him out in her mother tongue, but he ignored her in favor of focusing on the furious Kyuzo in front of him. “Right now, we need to focus on our gig."

“He’s right.” Bossk hissed as he stepped toward the group. "We have no time for personal squabble. Get this job done, and then you can fight."

"Oh, fuck you, Bossk. As if you have any right." Sugi snapped, jutting her finger into his chest. "Why don't you go back to doing what you do best - sucking the Empire's cock."

"Hey now-." Boba could feel his control of the group slipping, as Bossk took a step toward the much smaller woman.

"Take that back."

"Fuck you! And fuck your Empire!" She snarled, bearing her fangs; Bossk gripped her chin in his large, clawed hand, and drew close.

"You are nothing more than a wretched slut - that's all you're good for. Why else do you think Fautny brought you aboard?" His eyes drew down her form as his grip on her chin tightened, his claws piercing her skin; this drew a growl from Embo, who looked just about ready to murder the Trandoshan. "He never wanted you to fight! He wants you and your disgusting little cunt in his bed. He wants to rape you, over and over until there's nothing left of you."

Embo snapped at this, and threw Boba to the side so he could charge the Trandoshan; the two powerhouses collided with the wall as Boba scrambled up and over toward Sugi. Latts was already at her side, dabbing the blood and tears from her face; Boba gently gripped her shoulder as she curled up into a ball.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, and she shook her head. "Did something happen? Did Fautny... did he touch you?"

She looked away at this, and Boba felt his stomach drop; he turned back toward the fight, watching as Embo and Bossk traded blows. 

"Bossk is right." She managed as she wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. "It's all I'm good for..."

"Don't listen to him... we're all just worn out. We need a break." He kissed her forehead, and turned toward Cad, who was peering down the scope of his blaster. 

"Which one do you want dead?"

"Neither of them. Gods." Boba sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you just... stun them?" 

"Not likely. It would barely hurt either of them." Cad huffed as he holstered his blaster and crossed his arms over his chest. "Some team we are."

"It was bound to happen at some point." Boba exhaled annoyedly, before stepping toward the two tanks; he braced himself, before shouting. "ENOUGH! EVERYONE JUST STOP!!!"

"You heard what he said! You can't just let him get away with that!" Embo snarled as he stepped away from the Trandoshan; he wiped the blood leaking from behind his mask, before pointing accusatorily at the Trandoshan. "Say something like that again and I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try!" Bossk snapped. 

"Please... we have to find a way to work together... at least for this one last gig..." Boba rubbed his temples as Bossk retreated to the ship's quarters and Embo knelt down to tend to Sugi. 

-

They landed hours later, though tensions were still just as high; Sugi and Embo seemed to have made up, but Boba swore he could hear them making a murder pact against Bossk. Latts and Cad kept their distance, which Boba figured was probably a smart idea.

Boba brought up the rear this time, watching as the group sauntered toward the coordinates Fautny had given them; Bossk led the group, with Cad and Latts trailing behind him to block the Trandoshan from the murderous couple. Boba feared that their group would come back missing one member with the way things were going... and he didn't want to have to explain  _ that _ to Fautny...

Boba observed the neighborhood, surprised to find that it was a high-end area; it would be an odd place to find a Hutt, as these houses looked to be suited more for senators than anything. He didn't question it... not until it was too late.

Boba pointed them to what looked like a mansion, and they charged; Bossk pushed the double doors open, and screams filled the air as the group converged on their victims. Boba hung back, wanting to give his team the space they needed; he watched as blood and brain-matter splattered the windows, and fought the urge to grin. Now this... this was the kind of fighting he could handle.

He climbed up the steps and kicked the door open; his jaw dropped to the floor as his eyes scanned over the bodies covering the floor. The victims were rich and well-dressed, likely not associates of a Hutt. He could recognize a few of them as senators of the Galactic Empire; there must have been some sort of mix-up. Fautny wouldn't want his own people dead...

"Fuck..."

Boba dialed Fautny’s number, his heart pounding against his ribcage; there was bound to be collateral damage at some point... but he knew this would not end well...

_ “What?” _

“I- We-.” Boba couldn’t get the words to form, his voice caught deep in his throat. “It wasn’t a Hutt.”

_ “What do you… what do you mean?” _

“We just killed a room full of senators and their staff.” Boba whispered as he stepped over the bloodied corpses; he stifled the urge to vomit as he noticed the sheer disfiguration of the corpses. And as he looked down at them, he could almost guarantee who killed them. Head squished like a grape? Bossk. Every limb broken like twigs? Embo. Missing heads and various other limbs? Latts. “You must’ve given us bad intel.”

_ “Return immediately.” _ This was all Fautny said before ending the transmission; Boba felt his stomach twist into knots as he delved further into the house. His team had all but disappeared, leaving only a faint laugh for Boba to track them with. He climbed up the decorative staircase, his fingers brushing along the polished wood railing.  _ Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. _

Bossk was sitting at the top of the stairs, sloppily bandaging a cut on his right shoulder that looked to have been carved with a butter knife; he gritted his teeth as he tied the bandage in place.

“Status report.” Boba hummed as he peered down the hallway to find several of the doors open; he watched as Latts darted between the rooms randomly.

“I think some of them are coming unhinged.” Bossk huffed as he tied the bandage; he let out a low hiss as he ran a hand over his head. "I mean, you must know that... you saw what happened in the ship."

"That was partly your fault." Boba reminded him as he patted Bossk's left shoulder; Bossk hissed but said nothing to this. “And how are you?”

“Fine. Bitch cut me with a cheese knife.” Bossk ground his teeth, creating a noise that made Boba cringe.

“One of the senators?”

“No… Sugi.” Bossk frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Revenge, I think. At least her pimp didn't touch me. I will knock his teeth out if it comes to that."

"Just... watch yourself. And don't underestimate Embo. I've seen him take down bigger guys than you." 

He continued up the stairs, pausing only when he heard Bossk calling someone; he wondered if Bossk was working with Fautny more closely than Boba had been let on…. He shook his head as he made his way down the hall in search of the rest of his team.

“I think this will look amazing on you, love.” It was Latts’ voice, coming from the room at the end of the ornate hallway.

Boba peaked into the room, noting that Latts was shuffling through a jewelry box; she had a pile of jewelry on the vanity that she looked particularly interested in, which seemed to have been what she was gathering from the rooms he saw her dart into. She had decked out the other three members of her team with necklaces and bracelets and rings galore.

Embo was sitting in a plush chair, watching the doorway with a dark, brooding gleam in his eyes; sitting atop his lap was Sugi, who was gleefully cutting little lines into the Kyuzo’s arm. It didn’t seem to bother him – in fact, he seemed to enjoy it. His hand tangled in her hair as she licked her knife clean of the blood, before adding another slash to his already wounded arms.

Cad was laying on the bed, firing his blaster up at the ceiling; he continued to hum the same drinking song from earlier, before turning to look at Embo.

"Can I suck your dick?"

"No." 

"Why not?" Cad frowned at this, firing his blaster off at the window; he watched it shatter, before turning back toward the Kyuzo.

"Because."

"Because whyyyy?"

Boba coughed, and all eyes snapped toward him; he waved sheepishly and Cad just sighed. 

"Ah. That's why."

“Boba!” Latts giggled as she flung her arms around his neck, as if she hadn’t seen him in ages. She pulled away and gave him a silver necklace. “This would look great on you. Don't you think, babe?”

"Quite dashing." Sugi agreed.

“Uh… thanks.” He slipped it on, watching as they all returned to their original tasks. “We need to head back.”

“Back? Why?” Sugi chirped as she sheathed her knife; Embo growled a protest but she ignored him.

“Fautny wants us to. I think we’re going to get punished.” Boba frowned.

“Punished? Why? We did as he asked.” Cad hissed as he turned to shoot the mirror at the other side of the room, almost as if he was bored.

“Yeah, but we were here to kill a Hutt, not a handful of senators.”

“Big deal – we came, we did. Doesn’t matter who or what we killed in the end.” Latts shrugged as she scooped up her goodies. Boba was half-tempted to tell her to leave it behind, but he stayed quiet. “And we even get some prizes.”

“I wish I could be as confident as you are.” Boba sighed as he shook his head; he turned toward the door, turning back only when he noted that none of them were moving. “Let’s go.”

It was only then that they rose and followed after Boba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a comment is appreciated! Find me on Tumblr and pillowfort.io @ iridonian-goddess


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